Silverfox Lining
by Cadet Deming
Summary: What went on behind the scenes of captivity for the mutants on Three Mile Island. Victor Creed at his cruelest, Wade at his wackiest, Emma at her Frostiest, Stryker at his slimiest, Kayla gets recruited and more, semi-sequel to Prey Drive Completed
1. Chapter 1

Silverfox Lining Chapter 1

By Cadet Deming

I don't own the rights to X-Men or the Wolverine Origins Movie, Marvel and Fox Studios do, so please don't sue. I work in litigation so you wouldn't want to anyhow. Based on movie continuity. Wolverine/Kayla Silverfox/Victor Creed/Team X. Rated T for adult language, adult situations, and violence, but may go up to M later. Romance/Dark Comedy/Suspense Set in the 1970's. Takes place after my story Prey Drive, but I wouldn't call it a pure sequel and it should stand on its own.

**Ontario Canada **

Logan ordered a beer in the run-down pub, but it all felt fake. For one thing, his real name wasn't Logan, it was James Howlett. For another, he couldn't get drunk. He was one of the growing species, or plague, if you believed Congressmen Kelly, of mutants, people with astonishing abilities, often dangerous.

His nickname was the Wolverine, and he resembled one, in attitude and ability. A lot of people thought wolverines were closely related to wolves, but that wasn't quite true. They were actually part of the weasel family.

He certainly felt like a weasel at the moment. Although he'd been a soldier in 4 different wars, he'd walked away from his last confrontation. He surveyed the bar, wondering how many of the men present were draft-dodgers. Canada had certainly become a haven for them, with the Vietnam War and all.

As he checked his surroundings, he thought he caught a scent of what he had been running from: Victor Creed. Victor was his half-brother who had similar abilities, but he was more feline. Logan had run from him, and the secret military group they had fought side by side in.

He smelled deeper, and scanned the crowd, but got no sight of him. Perhaps he was just being paranoid. What were the chances he had been tracked back here?

A female slid in to the bar stool next to him. She had long dark brown hair and pale skin. She looked like a cross between a hippie earth mother and one of the native tribes: Algonquin perhaps, or a Chippewa.

The woman smiled at him mysteriously and turned away. Her mouth was a warm pink, full and sensual. She smelled like patchouli. It was as if she had doused herself with it, trying to cover something. How could anyone that beautiful possibly have something to hide?

"Hi. I don't think I've seen you around before. I would've remembered if I had," Logan said to her.

"Wow, that's original. Why don't you just ask me what my sign is?" she said.

"What is your sign?"

"I'm a scorpion…Scorpio."

"I'm a Logan…an Aries. I'd ask if I could buy you a drink, but you deserve something more original," he said.

"So, you're going to have to come up with something new," she said. There was a challenge in her voice, but her smile was warm.

"OK. How about you offer to buy me a drink? Women's Lib and all?" he joked.

"Well, you're the first guy who's ever asked me to buy him a drink. I'll give you credit for that. Bartender, another drink for the…gentleman," she said with a cocked eyebrow.

"Yeah, I'll have another Kamikaze, straight up," Logan told the bartender.

"Another one? Jesus Logan, that's your 10th tonight," the bartender said.

"A man who can hold his liquor. I like that," the woman said.

"You wouldn't believe the things I can hold. I didn't catch your name."

"It's Kayla. Kayla Silverfox."

She held out her hand to him. He took it to shake. Logan had never believed in love at first sight. Attraction, definitely, but not love. As she gripped him, he felt a rush of emotions he had never felt before.

"I guess you're going to have to just fall in love with me now," she said smiling that mysterious smile.

At that moment in time, he completely agreed with her.

**Toronto, Canada, 6 Months Earlier **

Kayla entered her stepfather Emmett Frost's home. It was one of those ostentatious upper-middle classsuburban places designed more to "Keep up with the Jones" than to live in. She had never really liked her stepfather, but after what happened to her half-sister, they had been forced to band together.

"Kayla, is that you?"

"Yes, Emmett." She had never felt comfortable calling him "Dad".

"Any word on Emma," she asked, entering the cavernous living room.

She had taken off all of her winter outerwear except for her gloves. She tried not to touch people unless it was with serious intent. Emmett was so cold, that wouldn't be a problem.

"No. Not a word. Not even a ransom note. The police have no leads. It's like she vanished into thin air. And she was about to apply to early admissions at McGill!"

"Well, maybe no news is good news. There's no evidence yet that she's not alive," Kayla replied optimistically.

"You always try to look for the silver lining don't you?" he said.

"Someone in this family has to. What's left of us, that is," she said.

"I suppose I'll just have to put my hopes on my other daughters. Including Christian."

"I heard that, father! You're such a homophobe!" Christian Frost called out from another room.

Emmett hadn't taken the news of his only son being gay very well. His late wife, Kayla's mother had a bigger sense of denial where her children were concerned. This extended to their "other talents".

"Speaking of hopes for my children, are you still working at that horrid school for the underprivileged? You have so many gifts, I hate to see you waste them on this left-wing 'save the world' garbage. "

"I teach because I love it and want to make a difference. My contract for next year is due to be signed in the next week or two."

"I could pull some strings and get you a job at an upscale boarding school. You could mix with the right sort of people for a change. Maybe meet a nice boy. You're getting a little old to be single."

"I don't believe there is a "wrong" sort of person. Look, Emmett, I appreciate that you're trying to help in your own way, but this is my life and my decisions. Please call me if you hear anything about Emma," she said.

**Several Hours Later, in a Bar in Toronto**

Kayla sat at a bar pondering Emmett's words. In a way, maybe it was good Emma was away from his influence. She had been turning into as much of an elitist, materialistic snob as he was.

Kayla had grown up with a totally different upbringing than Emma. She had spent her earliest years on a reservation. When her mother divorced her father and married into the Frost family, her life took a 180 degree turn.

She wondered where her half-sister was. Something instinctively told her she was alive. Then again instinct could be mixed up with wishful thinking.

"Is this seat taken?" a low voice rumbled next to her.

She looked up. A tall man grinned down at her. He had a mutton chop beard and grey eyes. Normally she would have blown off such an obvious come-on, but Emmett's words had touched a nerve with her.

"I guess it is now," she replied, smiling.

He sat down next to her. She saw he had United States dog tags on. She saw plenty of ex-military guys lately from down south, but not too many active members.

"How's the food in this place? I'm hungry enough to eat an ox."

"Stuffed potato skins, peanuts, salsa, and indigestion. Typical bar fare," Kayla replied.

She noticed he was still fully dressed. That would be normal in the winter, but this was late spring. He was covered from head to toe in black. He even had gloves on. She noticed because the fingertips seemed abnormally long. Was he like her, another mutant?

"Good thing I'm immune. I'm Victor."

"I'm Kayla. So what do you do?" she asked. She realized it was the type of question her stepfather would ask.

"Oh, I'm in murders and executions."

"Excuse me?"

"Mergers and Acquisitions. For Morgan Stanley. I got called up in the Army Reserves, though. Special Forces. Really Special Forces. What do you do?"

"I'm a teacher. I work with children."

"I love children. They're the sweetest" Victor said.

He sounded like he was talking about cake.

"Do you have any of your own?" she asked, starting to feel uncomfortable, but not quite sure why.

"I have a teenager now. She's a real hellfire."

"Oh, are you married?" she asked, stiffening.

"Oh no, I'm a widower."

"I'm sorry," she said.

"It's alright. It was dec…years ago."

"My parents are divorced. My mother passed away a few years ago. I have a half-brother and half-sister," she said, thinking of Emma.

"Well, it all comes down to family. They're supposed to be there for us no matter what," he said, staring at her.

She noticed he was staring at her a little too intently as her thoughts drifted to her sister. She should have been there for her. She should have protected her.

"Look I don't mean to be rude, but I need to go," she said, starting to rise.

Suddenly he grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her back in her seat.

"I'd sit down and shut up if you ever want to see Emma again," he said.

She quickly reached to take her gloves off when she felt something sharp and painful in her side. She assumed it was a knife. He smiled at her, revealing inhuman fangs.

"Don't even think about using your power of suggestion on me. I'll slice you open and then both you and your sister will die."

"What do you want from me," she whispered.

"Let's take a walk outside. There's someone who wants to meet you."

**To Be Continued **


	2. Chapter 2

Silverfox Lining Chapter 2

By Cadet Deming

I don't own the rights to X-Men or the Wolverine Origins Movie, Marvel and Fox Studios do, so please don't sue. I work in litigation so you wouldn't want to anyhow. Based on movie continuity. Wolverine/Kayla Silverfox/Victor Creed/Team X. Rated T for adult language, adult situations, and violence, but may go up to M later. Romance/Dark Comedy/Suspense Set in the 1970's. Reviews are very welcome.

**Toronto, Canada **

Victor dragged Kayla through the dark parking lot outside of the bar. She cursed herself for being so concerned for her sister's welfare that she'd forgotten about her own. She realized she couldn't fight back if she wanted to save Emma.

They neared a limousine with tinted windows parked at the most secluded corner of the lot. Victor roughly shoved her into the back. A man was sitting across from her. He was wearing a military-brass uniform and had slightly graying hair. He pointed a gun with a silencer at her as she sat down.

Victor settled in next to the new man. He took one of his gloves off and she saw he had hideous claws. He extended them threateningly.

"Hello Kayla. I'm Harvey Milk, and I'm here to recruit you."

Kayla looked at him like he was crazy.

"Actually, I'm Stryker. Colonel Stryker. I'm sorry if Victor roughed you up a bit. He has a little problem with self-control sometimes. As your sister Emma knows very well by now."

"What have you monsters done to her?" she asked.

"Pot calling the kettle black my dear, coming from a mutant like you. I know all about Emma's diamond skin, and your mind-control through touch. It's sick almost. You look so normal on the outside, but so twisted on the inside."

"At least I'm not twisted enough to kidnap people. And how do I know you even have Emma? Her disappearance is pretty well-publicized."

Stryker handed her a manila envelope, while wearing gloves. She opened it and was horrified to see the photographs inside. There were pictures of Emma wearing a burgundy prisoner's uniform. She was behind bars. In some of the pictures she was in her diamond-skin form, in others she was in her more vulnerable natural state. In every picture her expression was terrified.

"What do you want, you sick fuck," she said hatefully.

"I want your cooperation. In exchange I will return your sister to you."

She didn't want to ask, but knew she had to.

"Cooperation with what," she said.

"I have an assignment for you. I think you'd be perfect for undercover work. Victor's brother recently left my pet project, Team X. Except we're like the Hotel California. You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave. He's dangerous and needs to be controlled as a matter of public safety. I need you to calm him down and keep an eye on him from up close. Very close, if you catch my meaning. I can pull some strings and get you a teaching job in the small town he's settled in."

She was suddenly reminded of her own stepfather. Puppet masters with money and power who stuck their fingers in everything around them. Puppet masters made of ice.

"Does this job have medical care?" she asked.

"Darling, it's Canada. Everyone has medical care."

"How long is this assignment?"

"Indefinite," he replied.

"You're going to keep my sister indefinitely?!"

"Only if you cooperate. If you don't, she dies. Funny thing about her mutation. It only works when she's awake, and the more she keeps her skin in its diamond form, the weaker she gets. Everyone needs sleep, and that's when my team makes the most…progress…with her."

"I'll cooperate, but only if you let me see her, and make sure you're not doing any further damage to her."

"I'll let you see her, once you've ensnared Victor's brother. Not a moment before. That's all. We will be in contact with you. And not a word of this to anyone, not even the rest of your family."

A light flashed, blinding her. Victor had taken a picture of her. The door opened and he led her back to her car. His gloved hand felt even more threatening now that she knew what was under it, those hideous feral claws. She wondered what else was hidden under that long black trench coat of his.

"Is your brother a giant bear like you?" she asked.

He growled and shoved her against the roof of her car. She felt her lip split, painfully. Blood trickled down her chin and landed on the roof, steaming in the air.

He swung her around to face him, pressing her against the car's now dented roof. The look in his eyes was enraged, berserk almost. He was staring at her lips, no doubt at the trail of blood. She feared for her life.

"You can't touch me. You can't touch me or I'll control you," she said, her voice shaking.

That seemed to pull him back to reality.

"I'm not a goddamn bear. I'm a _smilodon populator homo superior_. Get the lingo right," he said.

"Wow, and I thought my mom's beagle Champion Talbot's Thyme After Time had a long name," she said.

"Just because I can't touch you, doesn't mean I can't scratch you."

One of those horrible claws ripped through his glove and he extended his nail. He used it to scratch at the blood on her lip. He raised his blood-flecked claw between them.

"They say 'the blood is the life.' Stryker has a theory our mutations are in the blood."

He brought his nail closer.

"Type A. Your sister's a Type O." he said.

She shuddered to think how he knew that.

"We're half sisters," she said gulping.

"Jimmy and I are half too. Same father. And he's a lot like me. Very close to nature."

Kayla couldn't force herself to imagine her upcoming task of seducing a guy like Victor. Or could she?

"We'll be in touch," he said, and took off, his black trench coat flapping behind him.

Kayla got in her car and broke down weeping uncontrollably.

**Stryker's Prison Cells, Three Mile Island**

"Rise and shine ice queen!"

Emma was woken by the splash of icy cold water. What made it worse was she knew she'd have to stay in the same ice-water soaked uniform all day. She hated polyester.

"Normal people wake up with café au lait, Wade," she spat at one of her least-favorite jailers.

Not that she considered any of them to be a favorite.

"Scalding hot coffee. Don't give me any ideas," Wade replied.

"The only ideas an idiot like you could have are the ones other people give you," she said, as she switched on her diamond skin.

Insulting her captors and then hiding behind her power was one of the few rebellions she had. She knew they goaded her because they couldn't get to her. Unlike some of the other captive mutants, but she considered herself above them.

Wade glared at her through the bars. She knew she'd touched a nerve. The mercenary seemed to pride himself on being a smart mouth. He reached behind and pulled out one of the katana blades he always carried, puffing up his admittedly rock hard muscles in the process.

"When Stryker gets enough Adamantium for me to coat my blades with, do you think they can cut through diamond, bitch?"

"Someday, someday, someday. All talk, no action as usual," she replied haughtily, and turned around.

She knew he had a bottomless need for attention, and the biggest slight was to ignore him.

"Every cloud has an Adamantium lining," he said.

"Could you please keep it down? I'm trying to study," a girl's voice called out from the next cage.

"Jesus Tabitha, you're the only chick on the planet that gets locked up and actually asks to stay in high school behind bars," Wade replied to her.

"Yes, she couldn't risk falling off the fast track to Community College," Emma said sarcastically.

Even though she was the only other teenaged female mutant in the place, Emma didn't like Tabitha Smith. It wasn't just that she was from the wrong side of the tracks, although that didn't help. She was way too compliant with their Team X captors. Way, way, too compliant.

"I don't see you on the fast track to anywhere, right now," Tabitha replied.

"At least I keep my pride, unlike you. I'd rather die on my feet than live on my knees. Of course, being on your knees is something you're used to by now," Emma said.

"People that die on their feet…still die," Tabby said.

"Rowr, a cat-fight! Speaking of the devil," Wade said as Victor Creed came into view carrying breakfast.

Victor was another close contender for Emma's least-favorite jailer.

"Don't you have someone to behead now, Wade?" Creed asked.

"Actually, I'm into eviscerations this week. I get bored easily," he replied.

"Bore someone else," Victor said, like a lion king.

Wade stormed off, but not before making a few obscene gestures behind Victor's back.

"Breakfast is served. For Tabby, freshly squeezed orange juice with the pulp, a grilled bagel with Nova Scotia lox and cream cheese, and Columbian coffee. For Emma, sugarless grits, again."

Emma reluctantly changed back into her normal form. She didn't like being in that state in front of Victor, but she needed to eat. She was hoping as soon as she grabbed her food he would switch his attention to Tabitha, but no such luck.

"I have good news for you. I ran into your sister the other day. Ever notice those three birthmarks she has on the left side of her neck? I'd love to rip it open," he said, flashing his claws to their full extent.

Emma gulped, trying to not to give him the satisfaction of a reaction.

"You're lying," she said.

He took a photograph and placed against the bars of her cell. It was a picture of her sister Kayla Silverfox. She wasn't looking directly at the camera, but her expression was horrified. As horrified as Emma felt.

**To Be Continued **


	3. Chapter 3

Silverfox Lining Chapter 3

By Cadet Deming

I don't own the rights to X-Men or the Wolverine Origins Movie, Marvel and Fox Studios do, so please don't sue. I work in litigation so you wouldn't want to anyhow. Based on movie continuity. Wolverine/Kayla Silverfox/Victor Creed/Team X. Rated T for adult language, adult situations, and violence, but may go up to M later. Romance/Dark Comedy/Suspense Set in the 1970's. Reviews are very welcome please-).

**Badger's Corners, Ontario**

Kayla Silverfox surveyed the cabin's interior. She had expected Stryker would set her up in an apartment, more realistic for a schoolteacher's salary. He had insisted on subsidizing, through a Swiss Bank Account of course, the isolated property. She was suspicious he had picked the place for how secluded it was.

Emmett of course, wasn't happy about the move. She had told him some lines about wanting to escape to the safety of the country and that she felt safer away from the crime of the city. Emma's disappearance hovered in the background of their conversation, but not for the reasons he thought. It pained her she couldn't let him know she was still alive.

She heard a loud thump as Victor Creed dropped her trunk onto the floor. At least he had helped her move. She suspected he did it because Stryker ordered him to, and he wanted to throw his weight around. She didn't feel comfortable being alone with him, but didn't have any choice in the matter.

"So is your brother a Smilodon too?"

"He's a giant weasel."

Kayla felt herself throw up a little in her mouth. The thought of having to sleep with an oversized mutant weasel turned her stomach. She thought of old drive-in movies with rubbery-looking half-man, half-animal monsters.

He sniffed at the air, frowning.

"Somebody died in here," he said.

"Great. You fix me up with a were-weasel and put me in a house in the middle of nowhere with a potential ghost. I suppose there's an insane asylum down the road and a zombie graveyard outside. Any horror movie clichés left unturned?"

"You left out genetic experimentation and nuclear radioactivity. Emma could tell you all about those."

_He likes to mess with people's heads. It's a game to him. This one's all about power, he's just not as blatant about it as his boss._

"How do I know she's even still alive? The pictures you took could be old."

"You'll have to take my word for it. Bring it up with the Colonel. You gotta fill your duties to us first before we give anything back. Sit down," he ordered.

She glumly sat down at the dusty table in the makeshift living/dining room. He was right; it did smell like something had died there. Something that died and rotted away. He passed her a packet of photographs.

For a moment she was afraid they were pictures of Emma, but they were of the man that was apparently Victor's brother. She could see a physical resemblance. They both had roughly the same height, but the brother had a smaller, wirier build. He definitely seemed younger. She was relieved that he was actually easy on the eyes, in a rugged way.

"Oh, I was expecting someone more 'weaselly'. Is weaselly even a real word?"

"His feral nature is part wolverine. They're the largest of the weasel family."

"My ancestors believed everyone has an animal that's part of their spirit. It's how I got the name Silverfox."

"It suits you. You're definitely a fox," he said, grinning a little too libidinously.

"Wow, you're only the 323rd guy to tell me that," she replied.

"You know, I didn't see a resemblance at first between you and Emma the Ice Queen, but now I do. You're both cunts."

He stood up from his chair, grabbing at the table. His claws extended and he scratched at the surface. The noise was hideous.

She kept her ground at the chair.

"You can't touch me, remember?" she said, throwing her hands outward in an act of mock supplication.

He growled, sitting back down. She could tell he was seething. She didn't want to cross him again, but she felt that was impossible to avoid.

"Look, just tell me what I need to know about your brother so we can get this meeting over with."

"He's a born soldier, like me. Short-tempered, wild at heart lives for the fight. The difference is he needs to lie to himself that he's on the side of the angels. I'm more honest about what I am."

"And what would that be?"

"An animal. A born killer."

"You had a really unhappy childhood, didn't you?"

"Don't try to psychoanalyze my mind," he said, steel eyes narrowing.

"I can't analyze something you clearly lost a long time ago. I could be wrong though. I'm sure underneath your brutal exterior lies a heart of…coal."

"Don't test me. You have no idea what I could do to you if Stryker decides you're of no use to him anymore."

"And what if he decides he has no use for you anymore? I don't get the impression he really likes our kind."

"Just stick to the mission," he said.

He took another swipe at the table in front of them, as if giving a warning. The sound was like nails on a chalkboard. She imagined for a moment, what those scratch marks would feel like on her back. From the way he was looking at her, she had a feeling he was imagining the same thing.

**Stryker's Office, Three Mile Island**

Colonel Stryker sat facing Wade Collins across his desk. He had purposely made the seats across from him shorter so he would loom over any visitors to his office. It was a trick he had picked up from one of the many books on strategy he kept in his bookcase. Books that had started mysteriously disappearing lately. Unfortunately Wade was so tall, they still sat eye-to-eye.

"So Wade, how are you doing today?"

"Well, I was vomiting blood from my nose this morning from the latest cancer treatment. Have you ever puked so much it came out of your nose? And it was green, I felt like that Regan chick from the _Exorcist_ movie. No offense, but I don't think this high protein diet you have us on is the best choice. Oh wait, you didn't actually want details, you were just making small talk."

"Actually, the cancer was what I wanted to talk to you about."

"You're not thinking of kicking me out are you? Because I can still do my job. I bagged and tagged 12 mutants last month alone, which is way better than Victor or even Agent Zero's record. Of course, if I got kicked out, that would give me time to live out my dreams of moving to Sunset Boulevard and becoming a stand-up comic or porn star. But I couldn't decapitate people any more, at least not without getting paid for it."

Stryker paused for a moment, trying to keep a straight face. He imagined a utopia where Wade couldn't talk anymore. Perhaps with his mouth wired shut.

"No, I think you're an asset to Team X. And I believe the mutant research I've been doing may have a possible cure for your cancer."

"Seriously? That's the best news I've heard since Charlie's Angels got picked up for a second season!"

"Well, it's experimental. I've managed to isolate the Mutant X gene. I've started trying to graft the powers onto new hosts, with increasingly good results. A few mice have even survived. But I need a human subject. And you're already proven to be a success with my artificial enhancements to your reflexes. This is a more complex procedure."

"What power can stop cancer?"

"Healing Factor."

"Isn't that one of Victor's powers?"

"Yes, but just between the two of us, one _homo sapien_ to another, that means keep your mouth shut for a change, I'm getting a little tired of him. He's too independent; I suppose it's a cat thing."

"Well, technically, I'm a _bi sapien. _I'm ambidextrous," Collins replied.

"Don't ask, don't tell. But I'm looking for a new right hand man, or in your case right and left-hand man. And frankly, I really don't like mutants. I think they have too much power, and the only way to level the playing field is to be able to take some of that power back for real humans."

"If this works, do I get to kill Victor?"

"Possibly. If the time is right," Stryker replied.

"Count me in."

**To Be Continued**


	4. Chapter 4

Silverfox Lining Chapter 4

By Cadet Deming

I don't own the rights to X-Men or the Wolverine Origins Movie, Marvel and Fox Studios do, so please don't sue. I work in litigation so you wouldn't want to anyhow. Based on movie continuity. Wolverine/Kayla Silverfox/Victor Creed/Team X. Rated T for adult language, adult situations, and violence, but may go up to M later. Romance/Dark Comedy/Suspense Set in the 1970's. Reviews are very welcome please-).

**7 Months Later, Prison Cells, Three Mile Island**

**"**Rise and shine, rich bitch!" Victor shouted into Emma Frost's cell.

"Can't they just issue a wakeup call, so I wouldn't have to hear you two every morning," she replied grumpily.

"Yeah, because a nuclear plant is a place anyone wants to hear any unnecessary alarms. Why'd they have to build this place at a nuclear energy plant? If they wanted to pick a spot no one would want to poke around in, they could've built it in Wichita or the ghetto or Stryker's bedroom. Like I don't have enough problems with cancer already," Wade said.

He started laughing at his own joke. It sounded like a high-pitched shriek.

"You have the laugh of a psychotic fairy," Emma said.

"Psychotic fairy: yeah that sums him up perfectly," Victor said.

"Kiss my ass in Macy's window," Wade replied.

"Way to go, team unity!" Tabitha called out from her neighboring cell.

"I miss Macy's, and Bloomingdale's, and Saks. I hate my life," Emma said covering her face to drown out the ugly reality of her surroundings.

"Actually ice queen, I have inside information about your old life. Come here and I'll whisper it to you," Victor said.

He had those horrible claws out again, which he poked through the bars in her cage. She didn't think he ever cleaned them. If she had his condition, she would at least get a French manicure. He smiled at her predatorily.

"No," she said, not wanting to get close to him.

"I said come here," he replied, growling.

"Hey no secrets. I'm the eyes and ears of this place," Wade pouted.

Emma saw both Tabitha and Wade were staring at them with identical jealous expressions on their faces.

"I thought you were the mouth," Emma said.

"If I wanted the whole base to know by noon I'd tell you, but I don't, so go away. I'm pulling rank," Victor threatened.

"You may not be the king of the jungle forever, asshole," Wade said.

"I'm immortal," Victor said snidely.

"We'll see about that. And for the record: I fucked your parents," Wade muttered.

Emma saw him mouth the words: "Call me" to Tabitha before he made a few more obscene gestures at Victor's back and finally slunk away.

"Anyhow like I was saying, inside information," Victor said.

Emma transformed into her diamond form and reluctantly stepped towards him.

"Your sister will be here this weekend," he whispered.

"You kidnapped her too?" she said, horrified at the thought of Kayla being locked in one of these cages.

"No, she's of more use to us on the outside. She's here for a little family reunion, as proof of how…cough…cough…hospitable we're being to you. It'll be a short visit," his voice was louder.

"What are you making her do?"

"Oh I'm not going to tell you everything. But let's just say your big sis and I are getting really close, as in 'keep it in the family' close."

Emma didn't like what he was insinuating.

"My sister wouldn't let an animal like you touch her with a ten-foot pole."

"You know what animal you remind me of? An insect, with your shiny little exoskeleton and your queen bee attitude."

"I think you're just frustrated because I won't open my shell for you."

"Don't flatter yourself Frost. Screwing you, would be like putting my dick in an ice sculpture. Kayla on the other hand seems so much hotter than you could ever be."

"Um, hello. Girlfriend one cell over, remember," Tabitha said.

"Since when have you been my girlfriend? I'm not domesticated," Victor said arrogantly.

"But I thought that we…that you and I…hey does that mean I can see other mutants?" Tabitha said.

Victor sauntered over to her cage.

"No, I can see other people. If you touch anyone else, I'll rip your throat open as well as his."

"But that's not fair!"

"My territory, my rules. Hey isn't it about time for your daily shower privileges?"

Emma was well aware of Tabitha and Victor's "shower privileges". They would both disappear for a few hours. When they came back, he was usually purring. She was usually covered in new bite and scratch marks.

"I don't think I need one today. I didn't do anything to get dirty yesterday," Tabitha replied, passive aggression in her voice.

"I wasn't asking you. I was telling you," Victor growled threateningly.

"No," Tabitha replied.

Emma wouldn't tell her to her face, but she was a little impressed. The girl was finally showing some backbone.

"You wouldn't want me to withdraw my offer of being your character witness before Stryker for parole now, would you?" he said, extending his claws again.

Emma had a feeling the promises of "parole" were as far off as Colonel Stryker's promises to give Wade Adamantium blades.

"Fine," Tabitha said.

Victor led Tabitha into the corridor, his claws draped over her shoulder possessively. Tabitha gave Emma a look that seemed to say "Help me," as she was led down the hall. Emma almost felt sorry for her. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to have to be intimate with a man as a result of following orders.

**Beaver's Corners, Kayla's Cabin **

Kayla let Logan into her cabin. Even though she had the ability to control him through touch, she still felt a little nervous. Thunderclaps rumbled in the distance.

"Thanks again for bringing me soup. It seems like you're the only person in this whole town that didn't catch the flu outbreak," she said.

"I have a strong immune system. Really strong. I guess you could say it runs in my family," he said.

Kayla thought of his brother. She realized that was what was making her so nervous. They both had that same carnivorous quality, underneath a veneer of dry wit. She saw him give an appraising glance through the small room.

"Funny, I've been courting you for a whole month and this is the first time I've seen the inside of your place," he said.

"Did you just say 'courting'?"

"I'm old-fashioned. Really old-fashioned."

"You do act like a man from another era. A soldier and a gentleman."

He chuckled and smiled. She loved his smile, but he did it so little. It was one of the only times the haunted look left his face.

"How come you don't have a dining room table?" he asked, with an eyebrow raised quizzically.

"Oh, a wild animal got in and ruined it. I just never got around to getting a new one. They're so expensive, and I'm on a teacher's salary."

She hated having to lie.

"I could make you a new one. I'm really good with my hands. Really, really good," he said.

"I'm sure you are," she said, thinking of the bone claws she had been warned about.

He kept them hidden though. Unlike Victor, who seemed to flaunt his difference with pride. What other differences did the brothers have?

Logan reached under her chin and tilted her face up to kiss him. His hand felt rough, lived in, but his movements were surprisingly gentle. She parted her lips and felt him.

He growled and pushed her against the couch. He took off the tight white undershirt he'd been wearing. His body was amazing. Every part was tight with muscle and sinew. It was like power incarnate.

Logan crawled on top of her, sliding one of his legs between hers. She groaned in response, closing her eyes. A thunderclap shook her home. Kayla opened her eyes and saw Victor looming over her, pinning her against the couch.

"No! You're too much like him!" she shouted in panic.

"Kayla! What did I do? Who's 'him'"? Logan replied, sitting back.

She realized she had been hallucinating.

"I'm, I'm sorry. It's not you, it's me. I was…I was in an abusive relationship with an ex-boyfriend who attacked me, and I sometimes get flashbacks," she lied, hating herself for it but needing a cover story for her behavior.

"I would never, ever do something like that. I'm not like that. Who is he? I can kill him for you. No one hurts the people I care about," he said his voice switching from shock to rage.

"It's ok. The guy died in Nam. I just, needed to be honest with you."

"Honest, huh? So that's why you've been keepin your distance from me," he said, getting off of the couch and staring outside.

"This doesn't change anything between us. I've been in therapy for it."

"Therapy? It's a scam. Real life is my therapy. I know all about shellshock or post-traumatic stress disorder or whatever they're callin it this decade."

"Sometimes, the best thing to do is talk about it. I get the impression you're not naturally the chatty type," she said.

Logan stared at her, like he was making a decision. He sat back down next to her and took her hand.

"You've been honest with me. I'm gonna trust you. I'm gonna tell you everything."

**To Be Continued **

**Author's Note: Ok, there's an obvious animal metaphor running through this. Three guesses what Wade's species is-) And I apologize if anything in the romantic sections seems familiar. It's so hard to do without sounding like a cliché.**


	5. Chapter 5

Silverfox Lining Chapter 5

By Cadet Deming

I don't own the rights to X-Men or the Wolverine Origins Movie, Marvel and Fox Studios do, so please don't sue. I work in litigation so you wouldn't want to anyhow. Based on movie continuity. Wolverine/Kayla Silverfox/Victor Creed/Wade Collins/Col. Stryker. Rated T for adult language, adult situations, and violence, but may go up to M later. Romance/Dark Comedy/Suspense Set in the 1970's. Reviews are very welcome please-).

**Kayla Silverfox's Cabin, A Half an Hour Later**

Kayla and Logan sat facing each other on her sofa. She was drinking some of the chicken soup he had brought over. Most of his confessions were facts she had already learned from Victor, but it was interesting hearing his side of events.

"So, you're a mutant. I won't hold it against you. I have a second cousin twice removed that's a mutant," she said.

"I just wanted you to know what I really was. I didn't want you to feel like I hid things from you. Most humans hate my kind."

"Logan, you're not a "what" to me, you're a "who". I'm a Chippewa Indian. My people were driven from their land, infected with veneral disease, and segregated to poverty-stricken reservations. If anyone understands prejudice and discrimination, it's me."

"I don't have any V.D's. I'm immune. It came in handy when I served in World War I. Half my unit got sick from syphilis."

"Now there's a pleasant thought when we're about to finally get it on. So, how many partners have you had? It seems like immunity would give most guys an excuse to sleep around."

"Not as many as you'd think. I'm more of a…what do they call it…serial monogamist. Women keep dying on me," he said.

"What?!" she said.

"Because I'm immortal. I didn't cause their deaths. Well, maybe a few, but that's a whole different story. But it's better to be in love for one day than spend an eternity alone," he said.

"I feel like I'm in a bad vampire novel," she said.

"I'm a creature of the day," he said, smirking.

"Funny, you don't seem like a morning person," she said.

"Wake up with me tomorrow and I'll show you," he said as they started to kiss again.

**Kayla Silverfox's Cabin, Two Nights Later **

"Wake up, Delilah. It's time to go visit your baby sister!" Victor shouted.

Kayla didn't know what disturbed her the most: the fact that he was in her house, the fact that it was 2:00 AM, or what he was insinuating.

"Is that a Biblical reference? I didn't know you could read," she said.

"If you were Delilah and Jimmy were Sampson, that would explain his hair. I grew up in the 19th century. The only book I even saw in my childhood was the King James Bible. And I thought you were into one of those New Age-y animal Wiccan spirit cults."

"I follow my ancestors' beliefs, but I still try to respect and be educated about other's faiths. Do you have respect for anything?"

"Yeah. Me." He replied.

"You know, not that it's your business, but I actually do care very deeply for your brother. And he goes by the name Logan now, not Jimmy. He probably changed his name to get away from you."

"I could change my name to the Pope, that wouldn't make it true. And I think I know the way my own flesh and blood thinks more than a temporary piece of ass like you."

"Have you ever been in love in your life? Do you even know what it feels like to care about someone as an equal and not a piece of meat?"

"Has anyone ever been in love with you? I mean, you have mind control, you've probably just ordered guys to fit whatever bad romance novel fantasy you have in your head. I bet no one's ever fallen for you because you earned it. It must make a woman like you feel really….insecure."

She glared at him.

"Get dressed," he said.

"Get out," she replied.

"Fine, but you won't get to see your sister," he said.

"I'll be ready…just give me some time. And I thought you were supposed to keep a distance so he couldn't smell your presence here."

"That's what Lysol's for," he said.

He left the cabin and she hurriedly got packed and dressed. She joined him outside. He was arrogantly leaning against the side of his car, with a grin like a Sabertoothed cat that ate a canary.

"Why do we have to leave so early? It's 1:30 in the morning," she said.

"We've got a long drive. And I'm nocturnal."

"Nocturnal. Interesting. So where are you taking me?"

"I'm not gonna tell you that. You really thought we'd give away the location? You're gonna have to wear a blindfold. I like bondage," he leered.

"There is no way I'm letting you put a blindfold on me."

"Well, since I can't let you see where I'm taking you, you could ride in the trunk. But as I said before, it's a long trip, with lots of potholes."

"Fine, I'll wear it."

"Good, you chose to rest your creamy thighs 40 centimeters away from me."

"Victor, if you fucking touch me, I'll use my mind control to make you believe you're a transvestite fish."

**Prison Cells, Three Mile Island**

Emma sat on the floor of her cell reading a copy of Sun Tzu's _The Art of War_. Tabitha had given it to her during a real shower privilege session, which was the only time they were both out of their cages. She felt a little guilty taking it from her as she could only imagine what Tabby had to do to "earn" reading material. Emma was so bored from being imprisoned she would have read a phone book.

"Soup's on! Why do people say 'soup's on' when they hardly ever serve soup here anyhow? Not that I even like soup, unless chilli counts. I just can't handle the gas I get afterwards, especially since everything around here is airtight. This one time, Agent Zero shot a raw egg in the shooting range room, and we couldn't get the smell out for weeks," Wade said.

"Hi Wade," Tabitha said to him.

"Happy Birthday! The big 18! You're legal now! Not that anything here is legal, although if discovered the U.S. Government will disavow our existence. I brought you some presents," Wade said.

"I didn't know it was your birthday. You really should start lying about your age now, it'll make it easier to pass for younger when it really matters. My mummy taught me that," Emma said.

"Good advice, but I have a feeling none of us are going to live long enough to need to lie about our ages," Tabby replied.

An uncomfortable silence filled the space between all three of them.

"Ahem…well, you know what they say: die young and leave a good-looking corpse. I always wanted to be cremated for my funeral. Something really unique, like having my ashes spread somewhere fun, like an amusement park, or zoo, or a strip club. Anyhow, present time!" Wade said.

He started passing an object to Tabby through her feeding tray.

"This one's a record from this cool new group called Joy Division. The lead singer always sounds like he's depressed or something, but I figured you'd like the background music," he said.

"Um, Wade, do you know what Joy Division is a reference to?" Tabby asked.

"No, but the name sounded happy and I was trying to cheer you up," he replied.

Emma heard Tabby sigh.

"Joy Division was the name for Jewish women imprisoned in concentration camps who were forced to work as sex slaves for the Nazi prison guards. But hey, it's the thought that counts, and I appreciate that," Tabby said.

Another uncomfortable silence filled the room.

"So, aren't there more presents? I don't have tv, radio, a phone, or anyone I would consider to be a real friend to talk to, so this is most excitement I've had all week," Emma said, mock-brightly.

"OK, more presents birthday girl! A Penguin book 1st Edition leather-bound copy of Nicolo Machiavelli's _The Prince. _The pages might be a little sticky though. I think Stryker jerked off to it, he has such a hard-on for anything to do with power."

"Thank you, I think," said Tabitha.

"Wait, you got that from Stryker?" Emma asked.

"Yeah, I swiped it from his bookshelf, like the rest of them. No one actually reads the books they own, they just use them for decoration to look smarter than they really are," Wade said.

"It doesn't count as a present unless you spend money, and I always thought Victor was the one that brought Tabby all the gifts," Emma said.

"Well Victor isn't here and I am," Wade said, puffing himself up.

Suddenly, it hit Emma. It hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Yes, you have to wait for him to leave the watering hole so you can sneak in and scavenge for his sloppy seconds."

"Hello! I'm sitting right here. So much for me being semi-friendly to you," Tabitha said.

"I like leftovers. They're the best part of Thanksgiving. Especially the turkey with cranberry sauce. Of course I have to stay under 3% bodyfat so I haven't had a normal meal in years. MMMMMM, cranberry sauce," Wade said.

"I'm sorry, the insult was more directed at him. Although, we all know you're kind of a slut," Emma said.

"Die virginal, Frost," Tabitha said.

"You know, now that I think about it, you guys would be great together. You have so much in common. You both use humor to overcompensate for your multiple personality flaws, and you both like boys. Plus Tabby seems like some kind of a masochist, and being in the same room with Wade is torture," Emma said.

"Actually, under the 'it isn't cheating if we do it together' loophole, that opens up a whole new world of threesome possibilities," Wade said.

"Too much information! Shut up! Shut up!" Emma said.

"Um, big problem. Victor said if I ever touched anyone else he'd kill me and the other guy. So we can't really do anything without me feeling responsible for a murder-suicide," Tabby said.

"I wouldn't tell him. I'm a bitch, but I'm not that much of a bitch. Of course, Wade would have to stop throwing ice water on me every morning. And you'd have to keep loaning me things," Emma said.

"If we can't touch, that still leads a wide open loophole for phone sex." Wade said.

"There are no phones in here you idiot," Emma said.

"You could start talking dirty to me through the cage bars," Tabitha suggested.

"What do you call the way he talks normally? I certainly don't want that within my line of hearing" Emma asked.

"It would be a lot easier on all of us if we could get rid of Victor," Wade said.

"And how do we do that? You couldn't take him on. You'd be killed," Tabitha said.

"For once in my life, I'll keep my mouth shut. But let's just say, I have another loophole," he replied, and started cackling like a psychotic fairy.

**To Be Continued**


	6. Chapter 6

Silverfox Lining Chapter 6

By Cadet Deming

I don't own the rights to X-Men or the Wolverine Origins Movie, Marvel and Fox Studios do, so please don't sue. I work in litigation so you wouldn't want to anyhow. Based on movie continuity. Wolverine/Kayla Silverfox/Victor Creed/Wade Collins/Col. Stryker. Rated T for adult language, adult situations, and violence, but may go up to M later. Romance/Dark Comedy/Suspense Set in the 1970's. Reviews are very welcome please-).

_**Author's Note: I geeked out and saw the movie again, so I could catch details I might have missed the first time. Kayla's power was she could only influence people through touch, except in most scenes where she used her ability she touched them through their clothes. Which is as logical as Stryker making Logan indestructible first and then trying to kill him, or sending his best marksman Agent Zero to kill Logan, and then announcing after Zero dies: "Oh, he can only be killed with these Adamantium bullets I've had right here in my possession the whole time". So in this story I'm keeping with the theme that Kayla's power only works if she touches bare skin, because that just seems so much more rational. (Granted we're talking about an action fantasy movie based on a comic, so a suspension of logic is required). **_

_**I definitely picked up on a "vibe" between Victor and Kayla the second time around. **_

_**And Emma's white undershirt? My theory is the director/costume designer probably just wanted to make her stand out from the other identically dressed in burgundy mutants, but it's fun to speculate on an in-story reason-) **_

**Three Mile Island**

Victor finally took the blindfold off of Kayla. She blinked, trying to adjust to the sudden glare of fluorescent light. She looked around for clues of the location, but there were no windows to allow her to get her bearings. There was an unpleasant chemical smell permeating everything.

"I want to see her now. This had better not have turned out to be a trick," she said.

"All in good time, Stryker wants you processed first," Victor said.

"Processed. What am I, canned soup?" she asked sarcastically.

From Colonel Stryker's apparent views on mutants, it wouldn't surprise her if he thought of them as objects instead of people.

"More like chopped liver, if you don't dial back your attitude to me," Victor said.

"You know, I've been trying to figure out what the difference between Logan and you is. Why he's such a good person, and you're such an asshole," she said.

"I'm not a person. I'm a mutant. And he's not a good mutant, he just pretends he is."

"I think I know when people are pretending."

"Why, because that's what you're doing with him 24/7? Do you think if he ever found out the truth, he'd be such a good mutant to you?"

"He's twice the mutant you are," she said.

"What did you just say to me?" he growled, tightening his grip on her.

She felt his claws digging into her. It didn't feel like one of his idle, bullying threats. This felt more dangerous.

Suddenly, the door opened.

"Hey, Stryker said I'm supposed to take this one's blood sample," a new tall, muscular man said.

"Go away Wade. This one's mine," Victor growled possessively.

"As I said Stryker's orders. When the puppet master speaks, you listen. He probably figured with your creepy blood fetish if you took a sample you'd get a hard-on and try to beat her to death with it. And you don't own every chick in this place," Wade said, and started cackling maniacally.

"Well, I thought your territory was every boy in this place," Victor said.

They both started circling around her. She felt like a piece of meat being stalked by animals. What made it worse was she couldn't keep both of them in her line of sight.

"I guess our territories overlap. And I don't own people, I entertain them. Or I kill them and then I'm the one that's entertained," Wade replied.

"I'm not entertained. Just get out of my face and extract the sample, before I take a swipe at both of you. And don't let her touch you, that's how she controls minds," Victor said.

"I know, I was briefed," he replied to Victor.

Wade grinned and grabbed her arm with a gloved hand. He led her down a hall to a small room. It looked like a doctor's examination space. Was she in some kind of a medical facility?

"So, you're Emma's sister. Funny, you don't look alike. She's so blonde, and you're so…not blonde. Are you Mexican or something?"

"Actually, I'm half Indian."

"You're an Indian! That is so cool! When I was little I used to play "Cowboys and Indians" with the neighborhood kids and I always was one of the Indians. Until one day, I tried to scalp one of the pretend cowboys. They wouldn't let me play with the other children after that. So, do you own any casinos?"

Kayla tried to keep a straight face. She was used to ignorant questions about her heritage.

"No."

Wade put on extra-long latex gloves. He rolled up one of her sleeves. He tied a piece of rubber around her forearm, and tapped the vein inside her elbow. All of his moments were inhumanly quick and hyper, like the way he spoke.

Her eyes trailed along the length of his exposed skin. He was athletic, but built like more of a tall gymnast than Logan. She saw several lines of track marks.

"You've done this before, haven't you," she asked, as he inserted a needle into her and her blood began to rise through a tube.

"Let's just say, I've done everything. And I mean everything. If you're thinking of trying to use your mind control on me, I'll slice one of your fingers off. I may be crazy, but I'm not stupid," he warned.

"I thought you were 'good cop,''" she said.

"I'm 'good cop', Victor's 'bad cop', and if you run into an Asian guy that looks like an FBI agent reject, that's 'Token Asian Cop,'" he replied.

"It's the three stooges from hell," she said, watching her blood drain away.

Kayla wanted to keep him talking. She wanted him to be distracted.

"I like your necklace. What's it supposed to be?" he asked.

"It's a fox. My spirit animal. Everyone has a spirit animal."

"So what would mine be? I always wanted to be reincarnated as a parrot or something. I could just talk and get fed animal crackers all day. I wouldn't want to be in a cage though. I need more action."

"Actually, you seem like more of a _Laughing Hyena_," she said, noting the expanse of his bare skin above the glove out of the corner of her eye, but trying not to make it obvious.

"Hey, don't hyenas have a bad rep? Aren't they garbage eaters or something?"

"That's a common misconception. They're actually alpha predators at the top of the food chain. In Africa, the _Spotted Laughing Hyena _is one of the only natural born killers and threat to lions. Other than humans of course. Humans seem to destroy every species they touch," she said bitterly, thinking of Stryker.

"Coolness. I'm an alpha predator. No one can touch me," Wade said, smiling wickedly.

Suddenly, Kayla grabbed the unprotected skin on his arm.

"You're going to help my sister Emma escape. And you're not going to remember I told you this," she said.

Wade was silent for a moment.

"So, hyenas are the enemy of overgrown cats. The animal metaphor is so obvious; I think I dropped a lead anvil on my foot. I dropped a weight on my foot in training once. I was in a cast for 3 months afterwards. Victor stepped on it on purpose and rebroke it. I fucking hate that guy. Oh, looks like we've got enough plasma. Time to visit your sister."

Kayla just smiled mysteriously.

**30 Minutes Later **

Emma Frost was led by an unknown guard to what looked like a visitor's room. It had two chairs separated by a partition. She felt like she was being treated like a criminal. Her, of all people!

Kayla was let in to the other side of the room. She was escorted by Agent Zero. He was holding his guns, pointed upwards. He was so attached to them, it wouldn't surprise her if he slept and showered with the damn things.

"Ground rules ladies. This visit is being recorded. If any potentially compromising information is discussed, I have orders to shoot to kill Ms. Silverfox. That includes plans for escape, the location, and anything Colonel Stryker would deem as confidential."

"What are we allowed to discuss, the weather? I haven't seen my sister in months!" Kayla said, indignantly.

"Am I allowed to talk about tampons, because there are no tampons here, and the uniforms are made of polyester," Emma said.

"Mention tampons again and I'll shoot both of you on principle," Zero deadpanned.

"Well, I brought you some supplies. Of course they've been checked out by what passes for customs here," Kayla said.

Kayla passed her some objects through the partition. They included a mini Clinique skin care set, a small brush, and a package of white cotton sleeveless undershirts. Emma was ecstatic.

"Ohmigod! You are the best sister ever! I have moisturizer, and natural fabrics. I love you!"

"So nice to see captivity has made you less materialistic, but I figured you needed a few necessities."

"How is father taking this all?" Emma asked.

Kayla's face was heartbreaking.

"I'm not allowed to tell him. They think it would be a compromise of security. Not even one phone call," Kayla said, giving Zero a dirty look.

His expression was cold and implacable.

"So what are they asking you to do…because of me?" Emma said, feeling guilty.

"It's not that bad. I just need to keep an eye on the brother of one of the guys here. Maybe you know him, Victor Creed."

"There's another one like him?" Emma asked, recoiling in horror.

Zero sneered behind Kayla.

"Oh no, he's not like him at all. Well he sort of is, but it's like he's the Abel and Victor's the Cain. It's not like how I expected," Kayla said, blushing.

"Didn't Abel end up dead?" Emma asked.

Kayla looked horrified. Emma realized her sister must really like the guy. She was probably afraid to say more in front of Zero.

"So, how are you being treated?" Kayla asked a little too quickly.

Behind her, Zero raised his gun in warning and gave Emma an unpleasant smile.

"I'm being treated fine. It's like being in summer camp, but with more locks on the doors," Emma replied in a monotone.

Kayla gave her a look to imply she read between the lines.

"That's good. You should always look for the silver lining. And never lose your sense of humor. You never know when a good jokester can bring unexpected help," Kayla said, winking at her.

"Family reunion time is over," Agent Zero said.

The sisters exchanged one last parting look as he led Kayla away.

**To Be Continued**


	7. Chapter 7

Silverfox Lining Chapter 7

By Cadet Deming

I don't own the rights to X-Men or the Wolverine Origins Movie, Marvel and Fox Studios do, so please don't sue. I work in litigation so you wouldn't want to anyhow. Based on movie continuity. Wolverine/Kayla Silverfox/Victor Creed/Wade Collins/Col. Stryker. Rated T for adult language, adult situations, drug use and violence Romance/Dark Comedy/Suspense Set in the 1970's. Reviews are very welcome please-).

**Author's Note: I go into a scary place: Wade Collins' brain…while high. So please don't read if you don't like drug references. **

**Prison Cells, Three Mile Island**

Emma brushed her hair with the new gift Kayla had brought her. She realized she wasn't sure how long it had been since she last saw a comb. With no sunlight, she'd lost track of the normal passage of time. She may as well have been imprisoned forever. It felt like her old life was a dream.

"Are the knots out? With no mirrors I can't tell," she asked Tabitha through her cell bars.

Tabitha looked up from whatever book she was escaping into and replied: "Seems fine to me. You look just like Prison Barbie."

"I am not that bad. Well, not anymore. It's funny how captivity can make one appreciate the little things, like soap, and clean hair, and not having scientists trying to pry me open with blowtorches," Emma said.

"Yeah, 'slumming it' has that effect," Tabitha deadpanned.

"I remember for my 12th birthday, father bought me a pony for my present. Instead of being grateful, I threw a temper tantrum because it was brown and I wanted a white pony," Emma said.

"Well, white gets dirty too easily. He was just being practical. And you would be one of the billionths of a fraction of a percentage of girls who actually gets the pony for a gift."

"You can borrow the brush if you want. Lord knows, you need it," Emma said.

"I never can tell if you're trying to be nice or insulting me," Tabitha said.

Tabitha opened up her cage and walked over to her. Emma stared at her in shock.

"Your cage has been unlocked this whole time? You could flap your wings and fly away?"

"Oh, it's only been unlocked for the past few weeks. It's a baby step towards my parole. I think they're testing me."

"But if you can leave, why don't you?"

"Stryker authorized for my cage to be unlocked, but there are still 3 layers of doors and countless armed guards. Plus…I have nowhere else to go."

"I don't understand you. If I could leave, I totally would," Emma said.

She passed Tabitha the brush through her feeder tray. She watched as she stroked her hair with it. It was odd how they could have had so much in common with each other, but seemed so different in the way they faced the world.

"They won't even let me make one phone call. They won't even let Kayla call my father to let him know I'm still alive," Emma said.

Emma started tearing up, but brushed it away. She didn't want to break down. She didn't want to cry.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Emma," Tabitha replied.

"Soup's on!" Wade called out, interrupting them.

"Lovely. It's the lesser of two evils," Emma replied, putting her armor on, in more ways than one.

"Hello to you too, Cubic Zirconium. Victor's gone for the next two days driving your sister back. He was totally hitting on her. She's actually pretty cool. I can't believe you guys are related," he said.

Wade put Emma's lunch through her feeding tray. At least he wasn't throwing ice at her. It was a start.

He put his arm around Tabitha possessively. It was eerily like the way Victor would grab her. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

"So, Tabby, wanna hit the showers for a little T.H.C.?" he grinned.

"You're an imbecile. It's T.L.C.," Emma said.

"You're so sheltered and deprived. And you really are a virgin, aren't you?" he asked.

"Could you be a little nicer to her? She's had a rough day," Tabby said.

"Whatever," he said, as he dragged Tabitha down the hall.

**Northbound Highway, Victor's Car**

Kayla sat uncomfortably in the front seat of Victor's car. She was blindfolded again. She was reminded of the old adage about how if you lose one sense, nature sharpens the others. Over the course of the trip, she became more attuned to the smells and sounds that surrounded her. She could sense when they were on a highway, or driving over a more secluded, bumpy road.

She wondered if this is what things were like for Logan. The feeling of hyperawareness filled her. It was probably overwhelming for him.

The car smelled new. The unmistakable aroma of new leather was its giveaway. Of course underneath was Victor's presence. He and Logan did smell similar. Her boyfriend never wore cologne. He was too sensitive and it overpowered him. She'd stopped wearing musk as it made his eyes water up too close.

"You know Logan isn't so innocent. He was a part of all that back there," Victor said.

His voice was also close to Logan's, with some differences. They both spoke in commanding baritones. They certainly didn't sound like guys that worked in computers. Logan sounded rougher and louder. Victor's voice was lower, but smoother. If Logan was a tall, cold beer, Victor was a smooth shot of whiskey.

"Logan never hunted other mutants, and he chose to leave," she said.

"He chose to run away. He can run, but he can't hide. That's where you come in, remember? Besides, I think I know the real reason you need to keep trying to convince yourself he and I are so different. If you're as in love with him as you claim to be, and we're cut from the same cloth, then that means you'd have to feel something for me too."

"If I wasn't blindfolded, I would be giving you a dirty look now. You're so arrogant."

"It ain't arrogant if it's true. What if I took the blindfold off, and dared you to look me in the eyes and tell me I don't get under your skin the same way he does? Or maybe you'd rather I left it on, so you could pretend the decision isn't yours. It's funny the things people are willing to do when they're just following orders. How they come to like, love, even live for what they're told to do. The ways you say so love him so much."

She could sense him getting closer. She didn't want him to take the blindfold off. She was afraid of looking into the intensity of those steel grey eyes.

"I don't think you really want me. I think this is just some sick sibling rivalry competition. You just want to prove you can take me away from him. I won't betray him like that," she replied.

He was so close now, he was practically touching her. She could feel his breath near her. It sounded ragged, excited.

"Betrayal? That's rich. Every moment you're with him is a betrayal. At least with me you can be what you really are. You can be free."

"Free to do whatever you tell me to do? Next you'll tell me 'freedom is slavery, war is peace, and ignorance is strength'. How Orwellian," she said.

"Huh?"

"It's a reference to George Orwell's 1984. But you wouldn't know about that because you like to pretend you're an animal. You use that as an excuse to hurt people."

"I could rip you open right now. I'd see how superior you act then."

"You can't touch me. I could control you."

He grabbed her arm through her clothes. She felt his nails cut into her. She refused to scream. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction. She felt herself bleeding.

"I'm touching you now, bitch. Who's really in control?"

"Colonel Stryker, remember? You have to follow his orders. You can't leave a mark on me Logan would recognize as yours."

Victor finally let go. He let out an ungodly howl. She heard something rip, like upholstery or plastic. She knew he was taking it out on an object when he really wanted to take it out on her. She wished she was with Logan instead.

**The Showers, Three Mile Island**

Wade and Tabitha sat on the floor of the showers. They were both naked except for their underwear. Wade inhaled from the glass bong they'd both been passing back and forth.

"I think I've counted the ceiling tiles in here 356 times. I've counted the floor tiles 543 times. I hate math," Tabby said, giggling hysterically.

Wade watched her lean over on her stomach. He was a little mad that she wasn't paying attention to him. When he was younger, if he was bad, his mother punished him by sending him to a "Time Out". Time Out meant he was alone and nobody was paying attention to him. If he was bad, his father punished him with his hand, or his belt, or one time the gas flame on the kitchen stovetop. He still had a scar from that.

Tabby had a lot of scars. Her back and neck were covered with scars, scars from HIM. He stared at her back a little longer because he thought he saw a pattern. Of course, he saw a lot of patterns when he was on Quebec Gold.

"Victor carved a tic tac toe game on your back? Actually, this one time, Stryker ordered us to threaten a potential witness by carving his back open. I was the "X" because it was easier to cut with my Katana blades. Victor was the "O". The guy told us the location, but since Victor is so competitive, he and I just kept going. I won though. I think the witness died from blood loss, or went into a coma or something. Couldn't he just buy you a tattoo like a normal person? I mean you always hear about people getting a tattoo of their significant other, and then they break up, and their name is still like, on you forever, except for when it fades to that annoying blue color. How come tattoos always turn blue? But I won't let him hurt you anymore because I love you, and we'll be together for the rest of my life, which may only be 2 days anyhow," Wade said.

"Do you even really love me, or do you just want to take me away from Victor because of that annoying macho pissing contest you guys have?" Tabby asked.

Wade thought for a moment. Of course he loved her. She paid attention to him, and attention was love. She was his favorite groupie. Actually, she was his only groupie.

"I love you. I love you more than the chocolate milkshakes I'm no longer allowed to drink, but not as much as the sound of my own voice. Although, anything that pisses Victor off is a bonus. Maybe I can convince Stryker to get you surgery to cover up your scars. At least he didn't carve his name on you."

"Actually, he did," Tabby said.

She pulled her bikini down. A "V" had been etched in scars on her behind. Damn, she had a nice ass. It was _Charlie's Angels_ perky.

"Ohmigod, that is so disgusting. That is so gross. Hey, I just had a great idea. Since a "V" is half of a "W", I could just carve another "V" so you'd have my initial on you instead," he said.

"Why do I feel like I'm just trading in being one guy's prison bitch for another's?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. You're not a bitch. Emma's sister said everyone has a spirit animal. You would be…thinking Africa…a Crocodile Bird! They're little and cute and they clean the teeth of the crocodiles. But the crocodiles don't eat them, because they're using each other."

"So what spirit animal are you?"

"I'm the Laughing Hyena. They kill the giant cat lions. I'm getting an operation 2 days from now. Stryker is going to give me Victor's healing ability. I might die in the operation. But if I live, I'll be strong enough to kill him. I'll kill him for you. I'll kill him for me. I'll kill him for us. But you can't tell anyone, because it's our little secret."

**To Be Continued **


	8. Chapter 8

Silverfox Lining Chapter 8

By Cadet Deming

I don't own the rights to X-Men or the Wolverine Origins Movie, Marvel and Fox Studios do, so please don't sue. I work in litigation so you wouldn't want to anyhow. Based on movie continuity. Wolverine/Kayla Silverfox/Victor Creed/Wade Collins/Col. Stryker. Rated T for adult language, adult situations, drug use and violence Romance/Dark Comedy/Suspense Set in the 1970's. Reviews are very welcome please-).

**Two Days Later, Three Mile Island, Clinic Recovery Room**

Wade sat reclined on a medical bed. He felt like he spent more time in hospitals than in his own room. Hell, he spent more time in hospitals than in school when he was growing up. That probably explained a lot about him.

"How are you doing Wade? I'm so glad you survived the operation," Stryker said, with that ever-constant smirk of his.

"I feel like I went skinny-dipping in acid. The bad kind that burns fingerprints off, not the fun kind that comes on stickers. I thought you said there was only a slight chance I wouldn't pull through alive," Wade replied.

He was still loopy from the anesthesia. Well, more loopy than usual.

"My scientists calculated there was a 50-50 chance of you dying on the operating table. I just rounded up. This was a highly experimental procedure. Of course, you need to heal first before we can see if the grafting had any effect and we were able to successfully implant the regenerative factor."

"So is Victor like, inside of me now? And he didn't even buy me dinner and a movie first. I feel so violated," Wade said.

It was probably how Tabby used to feel. Not any more if he could help it. Wade tried sitting up, but it hurt.

"Ahem, no. My researchers found Jimmy's DNA held the superior regenerative strain. I still had some of his tissue samples on file."

"Are you like that Bluebeard guy from that old fairy tale? Do you have a whole cabinet filled with the freeze-dried skulls of your ex-wives? I heard you keep your son in the freezer, like Walt Disney's cryogenically frozen corpse." Wade said.

He saw Stryker blinking at him several times, like a snake zeroing in on prey. He had a feeling he was annoying him. If he couldn't make people laugh, he could at least get on their nerves. It was fun. Although, ticking off the boss probably wasn't the best idea.

"My family life is of no concern of yours, but I don't have any ex-wives. I only had one wife. We were very happy for 15 years together, until my mutant son Jason thought it would be amusing to use his power to convince her to put a gun to her temple and pull the trigger," Stryker hissed.

The Colonel was getting closer to him. Wade tried to retreat, but he was so weak he could barely move. Normally with his training and enhanced skills he could make mincemeat of a guy like this, but with the poison of the anesthetic still in his veins he felt paralyzed and constricted.

"There's still a stain on my old living room carpet from one of the places where her bloody skull shattered onto the floor. I left the stain in, so I would never forget every time I saw it, of the danger these freaks pose. I know you try to turn everything into a joke, but this is serious. You're very important to me Wade. I've devoted my life to making sure no more human families suffer. If this procedure works, I'll be able to fight back against the monsters hiding in our midst. You're evolving into something that could become even more powerful. You're my best hope. Do you understand what I'm telling you, soldier?"

"Sir, yes, Sir. Wow, for once you're talking more than I am. Oh wait, no joking. I'm serious. Dead serious. I'm shutting up now. This feels so unnatural," Wade said.

"Good. Here's a remote control to the TV to keep you occupied while you rest up. There's millions of dollars in taxpayer money invested in you. Don't let me down."

Stryker started to leave.

"Sir, before you go, since I volunteered for what could have been a suicide mission, can I ask one favor?" Wade asked.

Stryker twisted his head around and gazed at Wade skeptically. After a pause, he slithered back to the edge of the bed. For a moment Wade thought maybe it wasn't such a good idea to show Stryker his cards, but while he was incapacitated he felt he had to do something. Plus, keeping his mouth shut wasn't one of his strengths.

"You can ask," Stryker said.

"The keys to the cages, could you please make sure Victor isn't allowed the one to Tabitha Smith's cage? "

"Hostile 17? I just started allowing her cage to be unlocked. I figured it's easier to keep them compliant if I give them a false hope for freedom."

"Could you start locking it again, for her own protection? At least until I'm better. And could you please not let Victor know I'm the one that asked?"

Wade had an instinctive sense Stryker could tell he had feelings for her. He also had an instinctive sense he might use it against him.

"Seems harmless enough. I won't tell him," Stryker replied, and slid away silently.

Wade felt relieved when he left. He didn't like the silence. Silence made him nervous, he needed stimulation. He turned the TV in the room on with the remote and started flipping through channels. He finally settled on a nature program.

"_Hello, and welcome to tonight's presentation of National Geographic, sponsored by Worthington Labs. Today's focus will be on a misunderstood member of the animal kingdom: the Crocuta Crocuta, better known as the Laughing or Spotted Hyena."_

"Coolness!" Wade exclaimed.

He was so used to the sound of his own voice, he talked to himself constantly. That had backfired over the years when other people had walked in on him. Anything was better than the solitude of quiet, though.

"_Hyenas became the Old World's dominant scavengers, managing to take advantage of the amount of meat leftover from the kills of saber-toothed cats…as the saber-toothed cats began to die out…more hyenas began to hunt for themselves and began evolving into new species._1_"_

Wade started laughing hysterically to himself.

"_Hyenas have been linked in human folklore to amoral behavior and sexual ambiguity. Their gender roles are often reversed. Male hyenas court females by forming a long term social bond with their potential mate, as opposed to the more violent methods practiced by other alpha predators, such as lions. "_

"Wow, it's like they know me. I could be reading my horoscope!" he said.

"_Hyenas and the big cats of Africa have a mortal interspecies rivalry. Here is footage of a lion attacking a hyena in a fight over territory. Witness the breathtaking sight as the lion breaks his opponent's neck with one bite."_

Wade gulped: "I am so fucked in the ass with a chainsaw."

**3 Days Later, Three Mile Island Supply Room**

Agent Zero sat in the supply room, reading a "Guns and Ammo" magazine. A ray of sunlight beamed through the window, and he enjoyed its warmth. He was on distribution duty. He'd actually volunteered for it. Zero volunteered for a lot of things.

Victor Creed sauntered in, with his usual arrogant stride. Zero had never liked Victor, or his brother. He thought they were too hot-blooded and impulsive. They weren't professional like he was. More importantly, he was jealous of the interest Stryker took in them. He had always coveted the right-hand man spot. It frustrated him that he put so much effort into being the best at what he was and climbing the military ladder, and yet mutants like Creed could just coast and break whatever rules they wanted.

"Give me the key to Hostile 17's cage. Stryker told me they were locking her up again," Victor said.

Zero thought it was vile the way Creed took advantage of the captive mutants, especially the one in question. It wasn't because he felt sorry for them. Empathy was such an overrated emotion. It wasn't…professional. He thought it was a sign of carnal weakness on Victor's part.

"I thought you were after Jimmy's girlfriend…this week," Zero replied sardonically.

"Just because I get a craving for restaurant food doesn't mean I'm gonna forget about what's in my refrigerator at home," Victor said.

"Yes, you would think of everything as meat, wouldn't you," Zero replied.

Zero opened the drawer where the keys were kept. He frowned as he saw the key in question was missing. He reached for the ledger of who the keys were signed out to and when. The list was dominated by Victor and Stryker.

"What can I say? I'm a red-blooded Canadian male. As opposed to how cold-blooded you are. I bet you wouldn't even know what to do with a 'key,'' Victor sneered.

It wasn't the first time someone accused Zero of being cold-blooded. When he was younger, the school psychiatrist had met with his parents because she was afraid he was a "sociopath". It didn't go over well with his traditional South Korean family. His parents said he was just being stoic, that wearing emotions on one's arm was a Western cultural value. Zero got better at hiding after that.

Agent Zero saw a note in the ledger, from Stryker himself. After he read it, he licked his lips with excitement, his tongue darting out for a moment. He started chuckling.

"What's so damn, funny?" Victor asked.

"I have orders from Colonel Stryker himself. Victor Creed is not to be given the key to Tabitha Smith's cage under any circumstances."

"Give me the goddamn key."

"Orders are orders," he replied.

"You know what you are? You're just a glorified hall monitor. You're this giant, skinny hall monitor lizard that kisses ass and aims at your little fly targets with those damn shiny guns of yours. Give me my key!"

Victor's claws were getting longer, as they did when he was excited. He literally wore his emotions hanging below his sleeve. If Zero didn't have his guns on him as a security blanket, he might be a little scared.

"I can't. Her key isn't even here. Someone else must be using it."

"Who?!"

Zero looked at the list in depth. When he read the name, he had to keep from chuckling again. He smiled with satisfaction, savoring the moment.

"Wade Collins."

Victor roared so loudly the room shook. He thundered out of the room, dragging his extended claws against the lockers. The screech of cut metal was almost as loud as Victor's feral howl.

Zero picked up a phone and dialed.

"Hello, Wraith, it's Zero. Can you get Fred Dukes on the line for me? Thanks."

Zero waited for his old Team X buddy to pick up.

"Hey Fred, it's me. You remember that old dead pool bet we have on who would kill who first, Victor or Wade? I think today, one of us will finally be able to collect," Zero said.

**To Be Continued**

1 _Denis-Huot, Christine & Denis-Huot, Michel (2003). __The Art of being a Lion__. pp. 224_


	9. Chapter 9

Silverfox Lining Chapter 9

By Cadet Deming

I don't own the rights to X-Men or the Wolverine Origins Movie, Marvel and Fox Studios do, so please don't sue. I work in litigation so you wouldn't want to anyhow. Based on movie continuity. Wolverine/Kayla Silverfox/Victor Creed/Wade Collins/Col. Stryker. Rated T for adult language, adult situations, drug use and violence Romance/Dark Comedy/Suspense Set in the 1970's. Reviews are very welcome please-).

**Author's Note: Be forewarned, gore ahead. **

**Prison Cells, Three Mile Island**

"I don't think the minute hand has moved on your watch in the past 4 seconds," Emma said.

She'd witnessed Tabitha staring at her watch constantly all morning. Emma herself had lost track of time long ago, other than the space between meals. It reminded her of what she'd read about how casinos and department stores intentionally didn't have windows so people wouldn't realize how long they were taking and spend more money. Except here it seemed to have the opposite effect, as everything seemed to drag on forever.

"I know a 'watched pot never boils.' I'm just worried about Wade's latest operation," Tabby replied.

"What's the latest cancer? Are they removing his other testicle this time?" Emma said sarcastically.

"That isn't funny," Emma replied angrily. She seemed genuinely upset.

"Sorry. I kid because I love-hate. You really care about him, don't you," Emma asked, her voice softening.

Emma still wasn't crazy about Wade Collins herself. He was like the older but less mature brother that annoyed the hell out of her with his hyperactive antics. It made her happy if Tabby was happy with him, though. Victor on the other hand, was like the older brother that goes too far and breaks someone's leg, and the family covers it up by claiming it was an "accident".

"I do. It's totally different than being with Victor. I mean, when I was younger I guess I fell for that whole Bad Boy Syndrome. But I think it's a psychological crutch girls fall into. Half the fantasy is we love the challenge of being the one woman who can "reform" him. But there is no reforming. People don't change. A scorpion is still a scorpion. Plus if things don't work out, we can blame the guy instead of ourselves. But now that I'm a little older and wiser I want the guy who's my friend, that I can talk to about nothing with. Or in this case, listening to Wade talk about every random thought that pops into his head."

"I thought Creed was a saber-toothed tiger. I'm having a hard time keeping track of all the animals in this zoo. And is Wade really much better? He still kidnaps and kills people for money. Not someone I'd be able to take home to Father and Mummy," Emma replied.

"At least when he beheads people, he's humane about it. He says it's painless. Unlike 'Mr. I like to play with my food first.'''

"The lesser of two evils, is still evil. So, how is Wade going to get rid of him?" Emma asked, frowning.

Tabitha just smiled mysteriously.

"Soup's on!" Wade called down the hall.

He bounded towards them. He was grinning and obviously in a good mood. She questioned if he was high…again. Emma noticed he was carrying his katana blades, which was unusual during feeding times.

"Good afternoon ladies. For Tabby we have Lobster Tails with Lemon-Butter Sauce, Spring Vegetables with Rigatoni Pasta, and Molten Chocolate Cake for desert. For Emma, we also have Lobster Tails with Lemon-Butter Sauce, Spring Vegetables with Rigatoni Pasta, and Molten Chocolate Cake for desert."

Emma blinked for a few moments incredulously.

"Who are you and what have you done with the real Wade?" she asked.

"You could say thank you. I thought rich people were supposed to be polite and shit. Or do you want me to go back to threatening you and licking your food before I bring it out?" Wade said.

"You licked my food?!" Emma said in horror.

"Only a few times. And how is my little Crocodile Bird?" Wade said, going over to Tabitha's cage.

Emma felt like she was about to gag.

"Better, now that I know you're OK. How are you feeling?" Tabby asked him.

"Let's just say I feel regenerated, completely regenerated," he started laughing hysterically again.

"Wade Collins, you're a dead man!" Victor's voice roared.

"It's Showtime!" Wade said, grinning cockily.

He positioned himself leaning with his back to Tabby's cage. He crossed his arms and stared at Creed's approaching mass. Even though he appeared relaxed, he still looked like he was ready for anything.

"Nobody touches what's mine! I'm going to rip you open with my bare claws you bottom-feeder!" Victor screamed.

He came into view. His claws were extended fully. Emma saw they were already dripping blood. For a moment she thought he had killed an innocent bystander in his berserker rage. Then she saw that the cargo pants he wore were shredded at claw-level. She saw the skin underneath healing before her very eyes. In his anger he'd been cutting himself and regenerating, over and over again.

Emma reflexively changed into her diamond form. Even inside of her cage, she didn't feel safe. The brightness reflected off of her must have caught his eye and he turned and hissed at her.

Wade stepped forward and unsheathed his katana blades. The sound they made was a metallic hiss of their own. It was an eerie echo of Victor.

"You're an idiot. Who brings fingernails to a knife fight? Tabitha isn't yours anymore," Wade said.

"Um excuse me, before you guys start fighting over me, which don't get me wrong is great for my ego, since I don't think it's a big secret I have the self-esteem of pond scum, may I interject? I'm not just some object to be treated like property. I'm an adult and I make my own choices, and I chose Wade. Whatever twisted, unhealthy, non-boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, prison bitch, protection racket I ever had with you is over Victor. I don't love you. I love him. I'm dumping you," Tabitha said.

Emma savored the moment of seeing the look on Victor's face. It was contorted in obvious deepening anger. She had a feeling he'd never been broken up with before.

"You…fucking…ungrateful…little whore. It doesn't surprise me you waited to get someone else to step in and fight your battles for you. You're weak, and you've always been weak and cowardly and submissive and dependent," Victor said.

"I thought that was what you liked about me," Tabitha said.

"I never liked anything about you. You just filled a need. And after I massacre him and make you watch I'll do the same thing to you. Nobody walks away from me," Victor said.

"You mean, like how your brother did? You're such an asshole to everyone, you can't hold on to anyone. If you die today, you die alone!" Wade said.

"I'm immortal you idiot. I'll just come back," Victor replied.

"Can you come back from a beheading?" Wade threatened, stepping forward with his blades in an attack posture.

Victor roared. He leapt forward and to Emma's surprise, he charged on all fours. He took a flying jump towards Wade. At the same time Wade performed a jump of his own, spinning in the air like a gymnast.

They collided together mid air. Wade ran Victor through with both of his swords. They missed his neck, but she saw their tips come out of Victor's back. He gave an unearthly howl. Simultaneously Victor's talons tore through Wade's neck. He screamed, but the sound was cut off as Victor slashed through his throat. Tabitha's scream in the background seemed to take up where his ended.

Victor roared again, backing off of Wade's body. His entire front was covered in blood. He'd been coated with it when he tore through Wade's jugular vein. Emma didn't know what was more horrific: the sight of Creed drenched in Wade's lifeblood, or the fact that he was smiling, grinning in a rictus of death and fangs.

Creed howled again. He slowly pulled both of Wade's katana blades out one by one. He flung them to the side, like a normal person would toss aside garbage.

"What's the matter Wade? Cat got your voice box? First time I've ever heard you shut up," Victor growled, and then chuckled to himself.

Victor stood up. Emma saw he was already regenerating where he had been stabbed. He walked towards Tabby's cage.

"You are dead, you little tramp! I guess you backed the wrong horse in this race," he said.

"He's still a better man than you could ever be," Tabby replied, crying.

"You know all those marks I've left on you over time, all the scratches and blood I've drawn? I was holding back. I'm not holding back with you anymore. I'm gonna kill you during," he growled.

"I faked my Stockholm Syndrome on you, asshole," Tabby said.

Victor lunged at Tabby's cage. She screamed. Emma saw the cage was dented from his impact. The cells were built to keep mutants in, but they weren't built to keep mutants out.

Out of the corner of her sight, Emma saw movement. Wade was slowly getting to his feet. He was wearing a burgundy shirt, so the blood, his own blood, looked black against it. His throat looked raw, like new skin, but she could have sworn she saw it destroyed just moments ago.

He raised his fingers to his lips in a creepy "Shhh" symbol, and dropped something through her feeding tray. She saw it was two keys: the keys to her and Tabitha's cages. He winked at her and crept off to collect his swords.

Victor was distracted by his attempts to break through to Tabitha. Emma could hear her crying. The cage looked like it was about to be cracked open any minute.

Emma cautiously unlocked her cage. She didn't open it, though. She was torn between her need to escape and her fear of the obvious danger.

Wade charged into another acrobatic leap. He was a little slower this time, probably weakened by whatever near-death experience he had just had. His blades looked like they were about to make good on his promise to behead Victor.

Suddenly Victor turned around, probably warned in the nick of time by the cat-like reflexes he had bragged about. He swung his arms up. Wade's swords slammed into one of them. Victor howled as his left arm was severed.

"Get away from her, you son of a bitch!" Wade said.

Then it was Wade's turn to scream. Victor ran him through with the claw that was still attached to his arm. Emma saw him lift Wade into the air, his feet dangling several feet in the air. Victor's fingers must have impaled him straight through his sternum. Blood trailed from Wade's mouth. He looked like a marionette.

"Funny, you can't crack jokes when you're screaming. You know why I bring fingernails to a knife fight? Because I am the weapon," Victor hissed.

Emma heard a horrifying crack as Creed broke the bones in Wade's chest. He crumpled to the floor in a thump. Emma realized she was crying.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaade!" Tabitha screamed in mourning.

"Gotta love karma. You break my heart. I break his," Victor growled at Tabitha.

Victor picked up his arm and reattached it. He started to ram into Tabby's cage again. Emma heard the squeal of metal as he finally broke through.

Emma used the opportunity to finally open her cage door. She tiptoed into the corridor. She wanted to make a run for it while Victor was still busy, but she heard Tabitha's horrified screaming. Her view was blocked, but she could see Victor was on top of her.

Emma hesitated for a moment, feeling impotent and conflicted. Finally she jumped into Tabitha's cage. If she was in her diamond form, she couldn't be hurt, but Tabby could.

She grabbed at Victor's leg. He roared and turned around. He took a swipe at her, but when his nails made contact with her protective layer, they crunched and broke off. She heard him howl again and he leapt at her, pinning her to the ground.

Emma heard a shot ring out, and a bullet hole appeared in his forehead. He fell down, his massive form still trapping her. His blood dripped on to her face. Emma couldn't hear any noise coming from Tabitha.

"Get everyone out of here now before he wakes up!" Stryker's voice called out.

Emma saw Stryker and Agent Zero enter the cage, and then she blacked out as she fainted.

**To Be Continued**


	10. Chapter 10

Silverfox Lining Chapter 10

By Cadet Deming

I don't own the rights to X-Men or the Wolverine Origins Movie, Marvel and Fox Studios do, so please don't sue. I work in litigation so you wouldn't want to anyhow. Based on movie continuity. Wolverine/Kayla Silverfox/Victor Creed/Wade Collins/Col. Stryker. Rated T for adult language, adult situations, drug use and violence Romance/Dark Comedy/Suspense Set in the 1970's. Reviews are very welcome please-).

**Author's Note: This is the darkest chapter I've ever written.**

**Medical Facility, Three Mile Island**

Wade blinked a few times. Everything was black. Was he dead? Was he in heaven or hell? Is death really this boring? He heard muffled voices nearby.

Wade tried to sit up, but bumped his head. Was he in a coffin? What if he starved to death underground, like stories he'd heard about of people who were buried alive? _The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out, the worms play pinochle on your snout. They eat your eyes, they eat your nose, they eat the jelly between your toes. A big green worm with rolling eyes crawls in your stomach and out_ _your_…he forgot the rest. It was so hard to remember.

"Hello?! I'm not dead yet! Someone pay attention to me!" Wade called out.

He heard more muffled noises, and the sound of a latch being adjusted. The whole world shook and he was pulled out into a fluorescent glare. He saw Colonel Stryker, Agent Zero, and that creepy female doctor who was so icy she made Emma Frost look like a department store Santa Claus staring down at him.

Wade sat up with his arms extended in front of him and moaned: "I need brains."

A gun went off, nearly deafening him. A sharp pain hit the front of his skull. He was thrown back onto the slab.

"You idiot Zero! It just took him 24 hours to come back, and I still don't know how effective the procedure was. Do you know how much taxpayer's money I've spent on this?" Stryker said.

"You always aim for the head with zombies, sir!" Zero replied.

"Dude, that fucking hurt, man. It was worth it for the looks on your faces though," Wade said, sitting up again.

"Interesting," the doctor muttered to herself as she scrawled something in a notebook.

He felt the bullet in his forehead working its way out. It fell into his hand. Now he knew how Jimmy and Victor felt. _There was something he needed to remember._

"Wade, I'm so glad you're back with us. The doctors declared you legally brain dead, but I had a theory the regeneration process just needed some time to adapt to your body. It still seems to be a little unpredictable. Most things are at the experimental phase," Stryker said smarmily.

"Legally brain dead? What do you think he was before?" Zero said.

"Did you piss on yourself when I went Living Dead on your ass?" Wade asked.

Stryker and the doctor both turned and looked at Zero. He had a tell-tale dark stain on his pants. He quickly grabbed the doctor's pad and covered his front with it.

"I don't need you looking at my crotch," Zero said snippily.

"Don't flatter yourself. I'm not interested in your 3 ½ inches. I have a girlfriend...for a change. Ohmigod, Tabby. What happened to Tabby after I went under? If Victor got her I will finish what I started and kill him. I'll kill him if it's the last thing I ever do…before I regenerate again. Immortality is so cool."

Stryker stared at him for a few moments. His tongue darted out as he licked his lips.

"I don't know how to tell you this, but I have bad news. Victor brutally attacked and murdered the mutant known as Tabitha Smith while you were under. He's alive. I tried locking him up. His appetites have been getting to be too public. He escaped, unfortunately. You have first-hand experience with how powerful he is. I do have a proposal. I understand the rage that comes from losing a loved one to this growing problem. As the implantation of mutations has proven to be a success, I'd like you to continue with further additions. If you can handle it, you'll become powerful enough to defeat even Victor, to destroy any mutant alive. Are you in?"

"I'll do anything," Wade said.

**One Hour Later, Another Section of the Medical Facility on Three Mile Island**

Stryker sat in a chair, watching the blonde mutant lying on the bed with interest. She looked so pale, so fragile. So many problems from such a young child.

She moaned weakly. Her arm tugged on one of the many IV tubes attached to her. She opened her eyes and looked at him.

"Tabitha, I'm so glad you're alive. Did I ever tell you that out of all of the mutants here, you're my favorite?"

"If that's true, why is this is the first time you've ever called me by my real name, instead of 'little girl' or 'Hostile 17'?" she asked.

"It's human nature to take things for granted until we almost lose them," he replied.

"What happened…what happened to Wade?" she asked, coughing.

"Wade is…dead. He's legally brain dead," Stryker lied.

"No! No, this is all my fault! This is all because of me," she sobbed.

Stryker had never been good at false sympathy. After his wife died, he had shut down even more emotionally on the inside. He preferred to think his feelings, rather than feel them. He sighed and handed the Smith mutant a box of Kleenex.

"Lit…Tabitha, that fight wasn't about you. You weren't the cause. Well, ok maybe it was partially your fault for being part of the hate triangle from hell and you were the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. Victor and Wade have been at each other's throats since I formed Team X. They were looking for an excuse to crack and try to kill each other. You were just the Macguffin Device. If this didn't happen today it would have happened a month from now over something else," Stryker said.

"Of course. There's nothing special about me. My whole existence is to be a pawn for men's egos," she said bitterly.

"You really do have the self-esteem of pond scum," Stryker said.

"What did you say to me?" she said and sat up sharply.

"Your choice of words, not mine," he replied.

"How would you know that?"

"The Frost girl told me. She was interrogated about the whole incident. We still haven't gotten a straight answer on why Wade Collins gave her the key to her cage," Stryker said.

"Emma is my best friend. Granted, she's my only friend, which shows how bad my social life is, but she wouldn't tell you that. You would only know if you were listening, if you were watching the whole time. You must have known about the fight, and you didn't stop it. You let Wade die, you bastard!"

Stryker felt his mouth twitching into a smile. He got tired of double-dealing and lying constantly. What was the point of pulling the wool over people's eyes if he couldn't brag about it eventually?

"What can I say? I like to watch. I had filming installed in the cells, for security reasons after my books started disappearing. And the showers, but that was just for…entertainment," he winked at her, watching her turn red, either from embarrassment, anger, or both.

"But, what would you have to gain from one of your Team X Members dying? Why give Wade mutant abilities only to watch him be killed?"

"I had to see if the powers actually worked. What better test than to see him in action against the strongest mutant I know? Plus some of the guys had a dead pool bet over who would win in a fight between Victor and Wade."

Smith threw the box of Kleenexes at him. He deflected it. He grabbed her arm.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. No one's protecting you now. Wade's…gone. And Victor, well he's your worst nightmare. Hell hath no fury like a 250 pound mutant scorned. I can't keep him locked up forever, he's of too much use to me," Stryker said.

"What do you want from me that you haven't already taken?"

"Maybe you and I can work out a similar 'protection racket arrangement'. I'll give you time to decide. I know it's been a rough day for you. Of course I would have to transfer you out of the cells, and let the rumors spread that you're dead. It would be the only thing to keep you alive when Victor gets out," he said, stroking her cheek with his finger.

She flinched and turned away.

"Are all men ruled by what's below your waistlines?" she said bitterly.

"We're animals. It's evolution. You're a smart girl. I'm sure you'll make the right decision."

"I've thought about it, and no. I'd rather die on my feet than keep living on my knees. Especially in front of a snake like you."

Stryker was ticked off. How dare she? She picked the wrong time to finally grow a spine.

"I'll say hello to Victor for you," Stryker said coldly as he left the room.

**20 Minutes Later**

Agent Zero sat reading an intelligence report on the next mutant he was assigned to capture. He preferred to skip over the psychological profiles and stick to the objective data. Although Wade made no secret of the fact his assignments were all about money or one of his bizarre ideas of a joke, and Victor seemed to use his assignments as a way to vent his increasingly animalistic instincts, Zero viewed his bag and tag missions as shooting practice, just with tranquilizer darts instead of bullets. The more dehumanized the better.

The phone rang and he picked it up to hear Colonel Stryker's voice: "Just do what we discussed."

Zero didn't ask questions. He never did. He put silencers on his ever present guns and walked to the room the Smith girl was in. This was almost too easy.

He was surprised to see her bed was empty. The back door on the other side was slightly ajar. He peeked through it.

She was in a small office area. A phone was in her hand. He heard a dial tone. She looked directly at him.

"I thought he would send Victor for this," she said.

"I guess he wanted it painless," he replied.

"A little late for that," she replied, and started laughing hysterically, crazily. She sounded like Wade.

This wasn't what he was used to at all. Targets were either completely voiceless and anonymous, shooting at him, or running away. He felt uncomfortable with how she kept looking directly at him. This wasn't part of the plan.

"Can't I have my one phone call, please? They never let me have one phone call," she said.

"So you can give away compromising information? I don't think so."

"If I say anything dangerous, you can shoot me. Serial killers get a last request. Why can't I," she said, and broke into hysterical laughter.

"Fine," Zero said, surprising himself.

He watched her dial a number and lift the phone to her face.

"Hello, could I speak to Emmett Frost please? Hello, you don't know me, and I can't tell you who or where I am, but I needed to let you know your daughter Emma is still alive. She's still alive and she's so strong and you would be so proud of her, so please don't give up hope. Please don't give up hope."

Zero heard a garbled man's voice as she hung up the phone. He saw she was crying as she looked back up at him.

"Just do it," she said.

"Turn around," he said.

She didn't comply. She just kept staring at him.

"I said turn around!" he said, his voice cracking.

Finally she turned.

He put the barrel of one of his guns to the back of her head.

"I promise, it will be painless," he whispered.

He pulled the trigger twice, execution style. It was the same motion he'd done thousands of times before. It was the first time he felt something. He never wanted to feel again.

**To Be Continued**


	11. Chapter 11

Silverfox Lining Chapter 11

By Cadet Deming

I don't own the rights to X-Men or the Wolverine Origins Movie, Marvel and Fox Studios do, so please don't sue. I work in litigation so you wouldn't want to anyhow. Based on movie continuity. Wolverine/Kayla Silverfox/Victor Creed/Wade Collins/Col. Stryker. Rated T for adult language, adult situations, drug use and violence Romance/Dark Comedy/Suspense Set in the 1970's. Reviews are very welcome please-).

**Three Mile Island**

**"**Victor, if you don't calm down, I'm never going to be able to let you out," Colonel Stryker said, as if he was talking to a petulant child.

He was greeted with an angry howl and a crash from the padded and locked room. The bars on its door had fresh scratch marks on them, and the lining on the walls had been ripped to shreds in several places. Stryker was already mentally calculating how many Senate Finance Committee members he'd have to lobby to get the money to pay for the repairs.

"I am fucking calm! Don't treat me like an animal!" Creed growled.

"Stop behaving like one then. You're a century and a half old, start acting like it."

"Wade started it," Victor muttered.

"Wade is dead. I could have you court-martialed for that, but that would mean the government would have to acknowledge our existence. Team X was woefully understaffed to begin with."

"So brush it under the rug like you do everything else around here," Victor replied with a little too much attitude.

"I'm getting tired of cleaning up your messes," Stryker said.

"Most of my 'messes' are from carrying out your 'dirty work'. I guess it all evens out in the wash," Victor said dryly as he sheathed his claws.

Stryker was glad he'd kept Wade alive after all. He'd toyed with the idea of eliminating him, but as he watched Victor's growing uncontrollability, he liked the idea of having a failsafe if he ever got out of hand. Success was all about having an ace up his sleeve.

"I have something else to get your claws dirty with. How do you feel about me bringing back Jimmy into the fold?" Stryker asked, smiling.

"Why now? To take Collins' spot? Or so you can replace me with him because he's easier to control?" Victor said, frowning at him.

Stryker's smile faded. He sometimes forgot how smart Creed was under his wild exterior. Or maybe he was getting too predictable.

"I think now would be a good time because I've had a few breakthroughs in the lab. I finally have enough Adamantium to be weaponized. Your brother's exceptional healing factor would make him the safest candidate. Plus after the events of the past few days, it appears the strongest motivator for a man is to take away the woman he…thinks is his," Stryker said as he saw Victor glance up at him sharply.

Creed's claws grew noticeably longer.

"What are you getting at?" Victor asked suspiciously.

"Let's say we bring in the Silverfox woman, but make Jimmy think she's been murdered. Murdered by you, of course. He goes into a rage, swearing vengeance on the man who invaded his territory and challenged his dominance. I can just envision him being willing to subject himself to any experiment to make himself finally powerful enough to defeat the great and powerful Victor Creed. Like allowing himself to be injected with Adamantium. After the procedure, I simply erase his bad memories, and we go back to being one big, happy, blended, mercenary family. Like the Brady Bunch, but with killer mutants instead of little blonde girls."

As soon as Stryker said "little blonde girls," he realized he may have made a mistake. Victor roared. The door rattled.

"Tabitha. I killed her, didn't I?" Victor asked.

Stryker heard Victor make a sound he'd never heard before. It was like a cross between a cat's caterwaul and a moan. Stryker raised an eyebrow. Was he…crying?

"Well…yes," he lied.

Victor howled again from behind the door.

"Oh, don't go Othello on me. This is one step away from killing your parents and crying because you're a self-made orphan. Don't attack your girlfriend and then whine because you're not getting laid anymore," Stryker said with contempt.

"She wasn't my girlfriend. She was…she was…what difference does it make now?" Victor said.

"I'll give you the key to the Frost girl's cell. Diamond skin can't break. She's at least durable."

"Emma doesn't even like me. Have you ever tried licking a diamond?" Victor asked.

"Well actually, yes. I was in college, and I was drunk. I have a sister I could fix you up with, but I just don't hate her that much," Stryker said.

"Thank you for the vote of confidence," Creed replied sarcastically.

"You know you don't have the greatest track record in dealing with women, or any relationships. There's something I've been wondering about this whole situation. You're such a great, instinctive tracker, and yet you let Wade move in right under your nose. How did you miss that?" Stryker asked.

"I thought he was gay," Creed replied.

"Bisexual," Stryker said nonchalantly.

"I had an ex-girlfriend like that. Raven Darkholme. She told me she was "flexible". I thought she was referring to being a metamorph. We drifted apart and she hooked up with a hippie chick named Destiny. Last I heard she was with some mutant named Erik that moves magnets or something. I guess it's all just meat in the end. Everyone screams alike in the dark." Victor said.

"Raven Darkholme? Sounds like the name of a character from a bad fanfic. There's a Russian kid in cell #19 you might like," Stryker said.

"Piotr Rasputin? He has metal skin. I may as well settle for Emma," Creed said.

"What about her sister Kayla? If you're bringing her in for me anyhow, it'll kill two birds with one stone," Stryker said.

"I can't believe I didn't think of that myself," Victor said.

**1 Week Later, Kayla Silverfox and Logan's Shared Cabin in Badger's Corners **

Logan sat drinking his coffee, watching Kayla in their kitchen. She looked naturally beautiful, even at 6:00 in the morning. He enjoyed the smell of morning.

"You keep staring at me. What's wrong?" she asked as she sat across from him.

"I always stare at you. It never bothered you before," he said.

"I didn't say it bothered me. I just was concerned because I get the feeling something is wrong," she said.

"Nothing's wrong, and that's what's wrong. I've spent my whole life in the fog of war, just seeing death, after explosion, after calamity. I'm so used to feeling like something is wrong, that when nothing is wrong, I feel like something is wrong. Am I making sense?" he asked.

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"So what you're saying is, you're so used to being miserable, that when you're happy, you make yourself miserable," she replied.

"In a way, I guess. It just feels instinctively, like something bad is about to happen," Logan said.

She put her hand on his shoulder. Her skin was so soft, so soothing, he couldn't help but feel better. He wanted to be happy for her.

"Nothing bad is about to happen. It's going to be OK," she said.

There was a tear in her eye when she spoke.

**Several Hours Later, the Road to Logan's Work Camp**

Kayla sat in her car, gripping the steering wheel, as a million different thoughts fought for supremacy in her mind. She remembered Logan's face as he said good-bye, not realizing it would be the last time. Is it better to not know when the end is coming?

She thought of her sister Emma, and how miserable she could tell she was. She remembered all of the years they had spent together, versus the token year she had with Logan. Loyalty to family faced off against the man she'd felt had become the love of her life.

Speaking of family, Victor loomed in front of her on the road. She couldn't believe the plan Stryker had ordered her to go through with to get Logan to submit to some twisted experiment. The cruelty of faking her death at the hands of his flesh and blood was abhorrent. And yet, here she was.

Victor was smiling. That damn alligator, Cheshire cat, lion, boogeyman, demonic grin of his. How twisted must he be to actually enjoy this?

He scratched her car with his fingernails. The sound was like the gates of hell opening up. Did he ruin everything he touched?

Kayla stood her ground. She didn't want him to get the satisfaction of scaring her. He approached her door triumphantly.

"So, come here often?" he smirked.

"Let's just get this over with," she said.

"Afraid you can't go through with it? I'm surprised you showed up. I can smell the fear on you. You can't hide anything from me."

"I'm not a coward. I'm just not suicidal," she said.

"I'm not going to kill you. We're just playing a game, you and I. Same game we've been playing since we met. Get out of the car," he said.

She reluctantly turned the ignition off and stepped out. They stared at each other for a few moments. She was having trouble breathing.

"The trail has to be realistic. Run," he said.

She took a few steps away from the car, stumbling.

"I said run!" he roared.

Kayla took off faster, heading towards the nearby forest. She considered possibly running away for real. She knew he probably planned for that. She kept going. It was eerily quiet behind her, like the clichéd calm before the storm. Suddenly she felt pain as she was grabbed from behind, pushing her face first onto the floor of the woods.

"Stryker said you weren't supposed to hurt me," she gasped.

Creed grabbed her hair and pulled her head back.

"He said don't kill. That gives me a lot of leeway. There's something I've always been curious about, Kayla. Are you a moaner or a screamer?" Creed sneered, before forcing her forward into the dirt.

He ground his knee into her back. She felt like he was about to snap her in two. He was so heavy.

"Neither around you," she spat at him.

"What does he have that I don't? How is he better than me? He's not better than me, dammit!" Creed screamed.

"He's enough of a man to not have to beat a woman first to get it up," she snapped.

Victor howled and picked her up savagely. He threw her savagely onto her back. She felt the wind knocked out of her. He crawled on top of her. She grabbed his exposed neck and tried to use her powers of persuasion.

"You're not going to do this. You're going to let me go," she panted.

She waited for his reaction. Unfortunately, it wasn't the one she was expecting. He grinned that horrible smile as he grabbed her hands and forced them to the ground.

"Your mutation doesn't work on me. It makes sense though. I'm immune to drugs, and that's all your pathetic ability is, just being able to drug people. Or maybe I'm just riled up enough now to resist. I guess I can touch you after all," he said, laughing.

She grimaced as he rubbed his face against hers, like a cat greeting its own kind. He licked her neck. She reflexively whimpered.

"I guess you are a moaner. Let's just pretend this is real" he whispered.

He bit her neck until she felt herself bleeding. He lifted his head up and she was reminded of every single vampire movie she ever saw as a child. The sight of her blood on his mouth was surreal. She felt another sharp pain in her side and thought he had bit her again, but realized it was the medication Stryker said he would have administered to slow her heartbeat so she appeared dead. Paralysis rapidly spread through her. As Victor stared down at her, she tried to pretend it was Logan. She tried to pretend it was Logan one last time.

**To Be Continued**


	12. Chapter 12

Silverfox Lining Chapter 12

By Cadet Deming

I don't own the rights to X-Men or the Wolverine Origins Movie, Marvel and Fox Studios do, so please don't sue. I work in litigation so you wouldn't want to anyhow. Based on movie continuity. Wolverine/Kayla Silverfox/Victor Creed/Wade Collins/Col. Stryker. Rated T for adult language, adult situations, drug use, references to sexual assault and violence Romance/Dark Comedy/Suspense Set in the 1970's. Reviews are very welcome please-).

**Prison Cells Three Mile Island**

Emma sat on the floor of her cell shuffling a deck of cards for a game of solitaire. What other game could she occupy her time with? There was no one else to play with at this point.

Why were gemstone solitaires considered to be so valuable? She wished she was diamond all the way through. After the shocks of watching Victor Creed kill both Wade and Tabby in front of her, she had been in a medical ward bed for days. That was when the voices started_._

Her protective skin had first manifested at age 13, apparently the mutants' Bar Mitzvah, even if Emma was the ultimate WASP. It was brought on by the trauma of her pony having to be put down after she rode him too hard and he broke his leg. It seemed rather curious that mutations didn't show up until people's adolescent hormones kicked in, and something bad happened as a catalyst. Violence and sex were intertwined. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. What doesn't kill you makes you stranger.

When she tried to stop Victor she had been overwhelmed by the sense of her own powerlessness. Her ability was just defensive, a way to keep the rest of the world out. No one could keep the real world out forever.

When she started hearing the whispers, it sounded like a hive of bees. She would hear a voice, but when she turned and looked, the person's lips weren't moving. Emma was afraid she had finally cracked, that this purgatory had broken her.

In the beginning, she thought she could only hear mutants. The guards and doctors seemed like blank slates. Then she noticed a pattern: she could only hear other people's thoughts if they were feeling a strong emotion.

_"Ohmigawd! Where am I! Am I going to die? I'd take Spanish class detention over this! It's not my fault I'm a mutant!" _

Emma watched as a blindfolded boy about her age was dragged down the hall. He was shoved into Cage Number 17. It had been Tabitha's old cage. The finality slammed shut at the same time the door did.

_"Is anyone coming for me? Does anyone care that I'm here?" _entered Emma's consciousness from the direction of another cage.

She shuffled through the deck and pulled out the "Joker" cards. She had wondered what Kayla meant by "a good jokester". Emma didn't make the connection she was referring to Wade until she woke up and had been questioned by Stryker about him giving her the key to her cage. The only emotion she had read off of Stryker was lust. It made her skin crawl.

Emma played dumb. It was one of the advantages of being blonde. She knew enough not to let anyone know about her growing sense of telepathy.

She turned the first card over. It was a 9 of Spades. Coincidentally, the same number as her cell. She never wanted to be just another number or worker drone.

Emma flipped another card over. It was the Queen of Diamonds. The picture was so regal against the white background. That was more her style.

"Soup's off," Victor Creed said with a mocking tone.

It was like he was making fun of Wade's memory, spitting on his grave. Or was he?

_"Someone pay attention to me! Immortality is boring already!" _slid into her mind from somewhere up above.

Victor slid into view. She could see Agent Zero behind him carrying a tray of food. He seemed out of place.

Emma pointedly looked away. She flipped over another card. It was the King of Clubs: the lord of war.

"Good morning rich bitch," Victor said.

She tried to get a fix on his thoughts. Surely a creature as ruled by his emotions and impulses as Creed would be easy to read. His mind was silent.

"Just give me breakfast and get out of my sight, please. I'm not in the mood, not that I ever could be around the likes of you," she replied icily.

"Excuse me, but is this the normal routine? It seems so…unprofessional," Zero said to Victor.

"The morning routine is Victor and/or Wade insult and throw ice water on me. I change into diamond and insult them back. Wade and Victor snap at each other. Tabitha makes a sarcastic cameo so we don't forget she's here. Victor kicks Wade out. Wade slinks off making obscene gestures behind Victor's back. Victor tortures a woman, either psychologically or by committing statutory rape. Did I cover everything? Except none of that matters because you fucking killed them you disgusting beast," Emma said, getting angrier and angrier.

The cards on the floor started to rattle and move. She realized she had probably moved them herself, another hidden power coming to light. Victor and Zero stared at her.

"Someone has to fix the bloody drafts in this place before I catch a flu," she said to avoid suspicion.

"Nah, to get a flu you'd have to have a body temperature that registers above freezing. And what do you care, you acted like you didn't even like them in the beginning," Creed said.

"Prison politics makes strange bedfellows. What does it say about you that you had no qualms about ripping apart your long-term co-worker and lover? What the hell is wrong with you?" she challenged.

Emma sensed guilt. It wasn't coming from Victor though. It was coming from Zero.

_"I hope she never finds out Stryker was the one that ordered me to kill her friend. Or that Victor figures out Wade is still alive."_

"I don't need to justify anything to you. You're nothing. You have no power and no influence. You don't matter to me, Frost. I came in to tell you that your sister is here, but we're not going to let you see her. We're going to keep you here as bait, because bait is all you're good for. And for the record, I already screwed Kayla six ways till Sunday. And she had to let me because she loves you so much," Creed sneered.

Emma felt a rise of disgust. It came from deep inside of her, but was mirrored from Zero's direction.

"That's enough! This is not professional!" Zero said through gritted teeth.

_"I can't let myself feel anything. I can't feel sorry for any of them or I can't do my job, and if I can't do my job, I'll be a nobody again," _Emma heard what he wouldn't utter aloud.

"Slither away then, you overgrown hall monitor," Creed said.

Zero walked away. After he left, Victor came closer to the bars of her cage. He looked like he wanted to say something. She tried to open her mind to his, but it was like trying to get a picture on a static-ridden television. Finally, he gave her a chilling smile and walked over to Tabitha's old cage.

"So Scott Summers, is that your name? With that blindfold on, you look like a Cyclops. Have you ever seen the movie "_Deliverance_"? Because I wanna hear you scream like a little girl," Creed threatened as he unlocked the cage.

Emma tried to block out the double shriek in her mind. Scott squealed out loud, but also in his head and hers. Emma vowed if she ever got off of this island, she would make Victor and Stryker pay for everything they did.

**Several Weeks Later, the Wreckage of Three Mile Island's Northeastern Cooling Tower**

Wade reattached his head to his neck. He could honestly say he lost his mind, literally. A flurry of confusion hit him as he tried to remember what had happened.

A jumble of images flew before his mind. Stryker had subjected him to more and more additions, each more painful than the last. He'd had Adamantium blades installed in his arms, the ability to teleport, diamond skin, a connection to electrical devices, and the ability to fire lasers from his eyes. He'd been ordered to kill Logan and Victor. He fought both of them, but they beheaded him and got away.

Stryker's voice wasn't in his head anymore. If he had to have a voice in his head, he would have preferred something cooler like HAL the computer from the movie "_2001_" or a phone sex operator. What was he supposed to do now?

"Hey guys, is this a trilogy? Because I wanna be in the next story. Anyone? Anyone? Pay attention to me. I'm bored!"

**The End**


End file.
